Hey, this is Hannah. On Civics 101, we talk a lot about government institutions and

accountability. How things are supposed to work and how we as residents and

citizens of this country and our communities can and should

participate and sometimes ask hard questions when systems break down. I wanted to

tell you about a new podcast series from our NHPR colleagues on the document team.

That's the same team that created Bear Brook and the 13th Step.

This podcast tackles a story about an institutional failure on a massive scale, right here where we make Civics 101 in New Hampshire.

For more than a century, the state has sent its most troubled kids to the same juvenile

detention center.

The goal has been to shelter, educate, and nurture children who break the law.

In other words, to provide a better alternative to adult

jails and prisons. But today about 1300 of those kids have come forward to say that they were abused by the very adults

who were supposed to be looking out for them. This three-part series is called

the Youth Development Center. Here's a preview. Andy Perkins wanted to get it right, to keep all the memories straight.

So we wrote it down.

In three word documents, Andy typed out a personal history of his time at a place called YDC, the Youth Development Center.

Andy had just reached out to some lawyers, and he figured it would be important to get all the stories together in one place.

I'm worried I didn't put something in that would be needed.

I'm worried I'll hear that I didn't get all the stories in the correct order or

something crazy like that. These things happen. It was 30 years ago. I remember

these things extremely vividly.

This is the first time Andy has talked about any of this publicly.

...