Juvenile Detention Center

St. Louis police cautioned parents to be sure their kids don’t shoot popular gel-blaster guns at strangers or engage in pretend shootouts that can be misinterpreted as the real thing.

A lawsuit by nearly 100 former detainees alleges Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice officials allowed rampant sexual abuse in its detention centers between 1996 and 2017.

The juvenile justice framework intended for youth rehabilitation has caused frustration among those involved — including parents left to feel hopeless and in limbo.

The chief judge over the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in rural southern Illinois abruptly moved to close it as of Dec. 31, citing staffing shortages that made it difficult to meet new state standards governing the treatment of youth in custody.

State audits point to troubling conditions in juvenile detention centers, but no agency has strong enough oversight to bring about change.

At 18, Bobby Bostic was sentenced to 241 years in prison. Now out on parole, he’s sharing the healing power of writing in juvenile detention centers.

Updated 9:40 a.m. with a statement from city officials. The St. Louis NAACP is considering a federal civil rights lawsuit to force St. Louis officials to…