When I trace back the genesis of my National Health Journalism Fellowship project, I always start in a law office in Russellville, Ark., a big town along Interstate 40 known for a relatively robust state university and a large public school system.
I was there that day last fall to hear about a boy and his lawsuit. Two large police officers had broken his arm in a juvenile detention center about 30 miles away, and aparticularly graphic video of the incident was the centerpiece of the evidence against the men. After viewing the video, I talked with the boy’s attorney about how the 110-pound 13-year-old had come into the system in the first place.
“FINS,” he replied, an acronym for “Family in need of services,” a court designation that in the juvenile justice system rarely needs elaboration.
[For more of this story, written by Chad Day, go to http://www.reportingonhealth.o...99re-mad-at%E2%80%99]
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