The pandemic put the juvenile justice system in limbo

Some teens have spent weeks in total lockdown. Jasjyot Singh Hans for NPR When the pandemic hit last March, David was visiting his family on a furlough from the Swanson Center for Youth. That's a state juvenile facility in Monroe, La. He was finishing up a four-year sentence that began when he was 17. David (we're not using his last name to protect his privacy) was planning on going "mudding" that weekend with some friends — riding all-terrain vehicles in a mud pit. But Swanson said he had to come back a day early. On the drive back, David's parents worried silently that they wouldn't see him for a long time. "We try not to put our feelings on him," says his mother, Judy. "But of course, he knew we were upset ... all three of us cried when we left." In fact, David didn't see his family again in person for nearly six months, until he was released. The state canceled all furloughs home, and all in-person visits due to the pandemic. It was more than one year later, on March 20, 2021, that those visits finally resumed. NPR visited young people and their advocates in Louisiana and spoke to advocates for court-involved youth around the country. They say the pandemic put the whole system in limbo, with some complex and contradictory effects. On the one hand, two different surveys estimate that the population of incarcerated youth dropped nationally, by a quarter to a third. That's mainly driven by a drop in sentencing. On the other hand, many incarcerated young people were denied access to in-person visits from their families throughout the entire pandemic. Education, which is legally required, has sometimes been delivered by Zoom or by written packet. Other rehabilitation services — sports, vocational training, group therapy — have been sporadic. In the name of COVID-19 safety, teenagers have spent weeks in total lockdown. [Read More Here]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- In other news… All across the country, campus custodians and cleaning staff have become essential during the pandemic. Colleges intent on opening in-person and housing students on campus have leaned heavily on their building and facilities teams to do it. "You may not have seen us before the pandemic, but I guarantee you'll see us now," Tanya Hughes, associate director of building services at the University of Florida, told NPR. [Read more here.]( — [Elissa Nadworny]( NPR Ed Reporter & Editor The U.S. Department of Education says it will erase the federal student loan debts of tens of thousands of borrowers who can no longer work because they have significant disabilities. It's a small but important step toward improving a shambolic, bureaucratic process for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable borrowers who are legally entitled to debt relief, but haven't received it. [Read more here.]( — [Cory Turner]( NPR Ed Correspondent & Senior Editor — [Clare Lombardo]( NPR Producer/Editor New clinical trials showed that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine elicits "100% efficacy and robust antibody responses" in adolescents from 12 to 15 years old, the drug company announced Wednesday. In a news release, Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla added that the company is acting "with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year." [Read more here.]( —[Bill Chappell]( NPR Reporter & Editor And before you go, something to make you smile. LA Johnson/NPR From quarantining in dorms to staring at the screen in online classes — it was a wild year to be a college student. And, it turns out, it was a good year for us to welcome college students for the first time to the NPR Student Podcast Challenge. On Tuesday, we announced our favorites! From podcasts submitted from college students across the country, we've narrowed the list down to 10 finalists. You can read and listen to the [full list here.]( From this list, our judges will select the grand-prize winners. We'll announce those winners this coming week, along with our honorable mentions. Then, we'll talk to the winners and tell their stories on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Our list of finalists covers a full spectrum of college life. We obviously heard a lot about COVID-19, but we also heard great podcasts about identity and music. About public transportation and friendship and racism in art. We even got some colorful tours through food and culture. Following the pandemic, our second most popular topic was family: tons of multi-generational stories with family histories, traditions and rich storytelling. [Read more for a rundown of our finalists.]( See you next week. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. 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