Investigative Solutions Journalism
The Mental Health Challenges in the Juvenile Justice and Foster Care Systems in Rhode Island
The Communities of Hope’s investigative team is focused on finding and verifying solutions for systemic issues affecting the most vulnerable populations in Rhode Island. Every year, we will focus on one investigation but we will not move on from previous ones, as we believe it is our purpose to see these through and keep our communities informed about any changes and, we hope, improvements to the systems we investigate. During the academic year of 2025-2026, a
dedicated group of Communities of Hope students is participating in the Solutions Journalism Network Student Media Challenge to thoroughly investigate solutions to the pressing mental health
challenges encountered by youth within the incarceration and foster care systems. Through this initiative, our students aim to uncover how local organizations and groups are addressing the issue, looking into what we can learn from their responses to this systemic issue. As an
investigative effort, we look into the evidence of how effective each response is, its limitations, and the lessons we can learn from different people who are being affected by them, from those who are
implementing them, and from the people who make decisions in the system.
About Our Collaboration with The Solutions Journalism Network
What is the Student Media Challenge?
The Student Media Challenge, part of the Solutions Journalism Network, helps budding journalists by giving them the tools and support they need to address important issues in their communities through creative storytelling. By encouraging teamwork among student newsrooms, this initiative creates a space where creativity thrives, enabling students to uncover real solutions and tell powerful stories that resonate with their audiences. Each grant awarded not only supports their projects but also fuels a passion for impactful journalism that drives change and strengthens community connections.
What is solutions journalism?
Solutions journalism is an essential way to shed light on creative responses to social issues, especially those impacting marginalized communities. It looks at how different initiatives tackle challenges like mental health, housing stability, and community engagement. This approach not only showcases effective strategies but also identifies areas that need improvement, providing a deeper understanding of these complex issues. It fosters conversations between community members and decision-makers, encourages learning from both successes and failures, and ultimately sparks meaningful change. Through engaging storytelling and insights backed by data, solutions journalism helps communities work together to address important issues while nurturing hope and resilience.
How Do I Become A Solutions Journalist
You can explore the fundamentals, access training opportunities, and discover toolkits and guides at the SJN Learning lab by visiting the website at https://www.solutionsjournalism.org/learning-lab .
Other Recipients for 2025 and 2026
- The Post (Ohio University)
- CT Community News (Connecticut Student Journalism Collaborative)
- The Collegian (San Joaquin Delta College)
- Southern Methodist University
- Communities of Hope Civic Media (Roger Williams University)
- The Daily Northwestern (Northwestern University)
- Madison Commons (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- The Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania State University)
Foster Forward Empowers Youth Through Mentorship
Children in foster care or youth who experience homelessness often endure many instabilities, especially in their transition into young adulthood. To assist foster youth, Foster Forward has been matching youth with mentors since 2005 to provide emotional support through tough battles with financial, housing, educational, and emotional insecurities. Launching off a successful mentor-to-adoption story, the SJN team emphasizes the importance of supporting youth, rather than leaving them to navigate the world by themselves.
Juvenile Hearing Boards Are Navigating Juvenile Justice With a New Approach
“This story is a part of the Solutions Journalism Network Media Challenge, where we report on mental health within the juvenile justice and foster care systems.” Currently, 30 out of 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island offer Juvenile Hearing Boards, an alternative to...
Mental Health and Lifelong Impacts on Foster Care Youth
This story is a part of the Solutions Journalism Network Media Challenge, where we report on mental health within the juvenile justice and foster care systems.”
Mario’s Law—A Second Look at Youth Sentencing
Rhode Island legislation offers parole review for crimes committed before age 22, acknowledging brain development and capacity for change Enacted in July 2021, Mario's Law allows individuals who committed offenses before their 22nd birthday to be eligible for parole...
Garden Time Uses Prison Gardens and Green Jobs Training to Support Rehabilitation at Rhode Island’s ACI
Garden Time is a Rhode Island–based organization that works to humanize the situation at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institution. They run three programs: an In-Prison Garden Education Program, which teaches incarcerated individuals sustainable agricultural...
Poverty, Bias, and the Systemic Over-Removal of Black Children in Foster Care
This story details the disproportionate representation and negative outcomes for Black children in the foster care system. Black children, who make up about 14% of the child population, represent 22% to 23% of children in foster care and are removed from their homes at excessively high rates. This disparity is driven by the intersection of poverty, where Black families are more often labeled neglectful, and institutional bias, resulting in higher reporting and investigation rates by schools, hospitals, and law enforcement. Research shows that Black children are more likely to be removed even when compared to children at similar risk levels. The Blind Removal Pilot Program is an initiative implemented by Los Angeles County and UCLA that attempts to address bias by redacting identifying information such as race, ethnicity, and location from case files during the committee deliberation process for removal decisions. The instability caused by system involvement leads to poor educational outcomes; only about 51% of Black foster youth in LA County graduated high school on time, and their suspension rates (17%) and chronic absenteeism rates (34%) far exceed district averages. Furthermore, African-American youth who leave state care are less likely to be employed and more likely to report incarceration. Recommended solutions include providing more support to families to reduce risk factors like poverty, requiring training to reduce implicit bias, and promoting systemic transparency.
“Good on Paper, Not in Practice”: Addressing the Persistent Mental Health Crisis in Rhode Island’s Juvenile Justice System
A new Communities of Hope report highlights systemic gaps in Rhode Island’s juvenile justice mental health services, revealing that state‑mandated protections often fall short of meeting adolescents’ needs. Although the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) asserts that young people entering the training school have “unimpeded access” to private healthcare and mandatory screenings—including suicide risk assessments and meetings with social workers—research shows these measures rarely translate to effective, consistent care.
According to the 2023 Kids Count report, 65% to 70% of children arrested nationally have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and many more develop psychological distress while incarcerated. Formerly incarcerated youth interviewed for the story described profound isolation, depression, and a system ill‑equipped to respond to trauma. These challenges, the report argues, stem from longstanding historical failures: Rhode Island’s earliest reform schools in the late 1800s were likened to workhouses, with documented physical and emotional abuse—conditions that set a precedent for inadequate care that reforms have yet to fully overcome.
While policies and protocols may appear robust on paper, advocates stress that meaningful solutions lie in trauma‑informed, community‑rooted mental health interventions—not solely procedural compliance. The story suggests that implementing evidence‑based care models and strengthening accountability for service delivery could finally bring Rhode Island’s juvenile justice system closer to providing the comprehensive mental health support its youth deserve.
Maryland Faces Lawsuits Over Juvenile Sexual Abuse
Macayla collaborates with the Communities of Hope Student Media Challenge team to address mental health issues within the juvenile justice system.We will be discussing a recent story our Solutions Journalism Network team did research on over the past week. We would...