Tennessee could lock up foster youth in jail-like facilities under new bill Research shows it's best practice to house foster kids with families, but a bill would allow foster kids to be placed in the most secure juvenile facilities.

Foster care children in Tennessee could be placed in the most secure facilities — with barbed wire and cells that lock — under a newly proposed bill that is alarming advocates. My latest:

They Were Convicted of Killing Their Abusers. A New Law Offered a Second Chance at Freedom. An Oklahoma law was supposed to help reduce the sentences of women who killed their abusers. Why are nearly all of them still in prison?

Always, always, always read @pamelacolloff.bsky.social:

Tennessee could lock up foster youth in jail-like facilities under new bill Research shows it's best practice to house foster kids with families, but a bill would allow foster kids to be placed in the most secure juvenile facilities.

"Our governor, with DCS, have decided the solution to kids being placed in offices is to put them in prison. This is how the children in foster care are being treated — like criminals."

When asked why an ICE agent used life-threatening force on a 16-year-old U.S. citizen who was on his way to school, this is how the government responded:

We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing Civilians have had apparent seizures. One had his eyes roll back. Another had ribs broken. “I felt like I was going to pass out and die,” said a 16-year-old citizen put in a chokehold. The government ...

This story is a must-read and so incredibly shocking.

Masked, unidentifiable federal agents are using life-threatening force on random people who are being targeted because of how they look. And there is virtually no way to hold them accountable.

A county’s move to protect domestic violence victims is spreading across Tennessee • Tennessee Lookout Judges across Tennessee are now demanding greater accountability from people who have been ordered to give up their guns.

Judges across Tennessee are now demanding greater accountability from people who have been ordered to give up their guns, a shift aimed at strengthening protections for domestic violence victims. From @paigepfleger.bsky.social with @wpln.bsky.social and @propublica.org.

A County’s Move to Protect Domestic Violence Victims Is Spreading Across Tennessee After Legislative Delay Judges across the state are demanding more accountability from abusers who have been ordered to give up their guns in an effort to strengthen protections for domestic violence victims.

"Analysis found that about 1 in 4 victims of domestic violence gun homicides were killed by someone who was barred from having a firearm."

"Nine counties...have amended the state’s gun dispossession affidavit to require information about who will be taking possession of the weapon."

#Pinks

A County’s Move to Protect Domestic Violence Victims Is Spreading Across Tennessee After Legislative Delay Judges across the state are demanding more accountability from abusers who have been ordered to give up their guns in an effort to strengthen protections for domestic violence victims.

NEW: Judges across Tennessee are now demanding greater accountability from people who have been ordered to give up their guns, a shift aimed at strengthening protections for domestic violence victims.

With @wpln.bsky.social

A County’s Move to Protect Domestic Violence Victims Is Spreading Across Tennessee After Legislative Delay Judges across Tennessee are demanding more accountability from domestic abusers who have been ordered to give up their guns. It's an effort to strengthen protections for survivors.

Nine Tennessee counties have adopted a measure requiring more transparency when an abuser is forced to give up their weapon.

Others are also considering the change, advocates say.

wpln.org/post/a-count...

A County’s Move to Protect Domestic Violence Victims Is Spreading Across Tennessee After Legislative Delay Judges across the state are demanding more accountability from abusers who have been ordered to give up their guns in an effort to strengthen protections for domestic violence victims.

A rare good news story from me: Judges in some Tennessee counties are now demanding greater transparency from people who have been court-ordered to give up their guns, following reporting from @wpln.bsky.social and @propublica.org

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On the cusp of reform, advocates for Tennessee's domestic violence victims are left waiting again For years, advocates for victims of domestic violence have been pushing for a relatively small change that would close a big loophole.

Despite years of advocacy, a state council on domestic violence has failed to pass a reform that could protect victims. My latest:

Republicans keep Tennessee congressional seat in unexpectedly close race Republican Matt Van Epps fended off Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn with nearly 53% of the vote, a much narrower margin than previous years.

Republicans have narrowly kept control of Tennessee’s 7th congressional seat. The latest on this tight race that turned into an unexpected battleground: wpln.org/post/republi... @mariannabac.bsky.social @wpln.bsky.social

It appears the vibes could not be more different between the Behn and Van Epps election night parties:

We’ve got our first round of cheers over at the election night party as early results show Behn pulling ahead of Van Epps in Montgomery county — a county that Trump won in the last election.

I’m at the Aftyn Behn election night party, and @mariannabac.bsky.social is with the Matt Van Epps campaign. We’re waiting on polls to close and results to start rolling in. Stay tuned to @wpln.bsky.social for your special election news.

Thank you, Steve! Hope you’re doing well 🩷

She Begged for Help. This State’s Probation Gap May Have Put Her in Danger. Tennessee probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months. Temptress Peebles was one of six mothers who...

A superbly reported story here. But also sharing because it was written by a former NPR digital news intern I worked with a decade ago. I'm always so proud to see the careers of those star interns flourish. Well done, @paigepfleger.bsky.social!

She Begged for Help. This State’s Probation Gap May Have Put Her in Danger. Tennessee probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months. Temptress Peebles was one of six mothers who...

ICYMI: She Begged for Help. This State’s Probation Gap May Have Put Her in Danger. @paigepfleger.bsky.social @wpln.bsky.social @mariamelba.bsky.social

How a Gap in Tennessee’s Probation System Leaves Domestic Violence Victims in Danger Probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months — in one case it was over a year. Six mothers died duri...

NEW: Tennessee has one of the highest rates of gun-related homicide. A blind spot in the state's probation department appears at a time when experts say offenders are a danger to domestic violence victims, @wpln.bsky.social and @propublica.org found.

How a Gap in Tennessee’s Probation System Leaves Domestic Violence Victims in Danger Probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months — in one case it was over a year. Six mothers died duri...

Roughly 1 in 4 domestic violence homicide victims in Tennessee’s five biggest cities were allegedly shot by someone who was legally barred from having a gun. @paigepfleger.bsky.social @wpln.bsky.social @mariamelba.bsky.social

How a Gap in Tennessee’s Probation System Leaves Domestic Violence Victims in Danger Probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months — in one case it was over a year. Six mothers died duri...

NEW: Tennessee has one of the highest rates of gun-related homicide.

A blind spot in the state's probation department appears at a time when experts say offenders are a danger to domestic violence victims, @wpln.bsky.social and @propublica.org found.

Peebles' ex and his lawyer declined to speak with WPLN and the case file has been sealed. The case is scheduled for trial this month. 7/7

How a Gap in Tennessee’s Probation System Leaves Domestic Violence Victims in Danger Probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months — in one case it was over a year. Six mothers died duri...

Six young Black moms were allegedly killed by suspects who were on probation but not being monitored in person because of a warrant out for their arrest. Their deaths left 12 children without mothers. 6/7

Probation officers in TN cannot serve warrants or arrest probationers themselves. TDOC said they work closely with law enforcement to aid with arrests. But the department confirmed that all in-person supervision stops until the warrant is served. 5/7

When a probationer commits a new crime, a warrant can go out for their arrest. But until that warrant is served, face-to-face supervision stops. Sometimes that gap is a few days long. Other times, we found it can last more than a year. 4/7

Roughly 1 in 4 domestic violence homicide victims in Tennessee’s five biggest cities were allegedly shot by a suspect who was barred from having a gun. And some suspects were being monitored by probation officers before the homicide. 3/7

Guns in Dangerous Hands Archives Tennessee has one of the highest rates of women killed by men in the country. Loose gun laws and weak enforcement make it easier for dangerous people to keep their guns, even if they are barred from h...

Over nearly three years, @mariamelba.bsky.social and I have examined hundreds of fatal domestic violence shootings in TN to understand how often they are committed by someone legally barred from having a gun, and the gaps victims fall through in the system. 2/7

How a Gap in Tennessee’s Probation System Leaves Domestic Violence Victims in Danger Probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months — in one case it was over a year. Six mothers died duri...

Temptress Peebles called Nashville’s probation office for help. Her ex was on probation and had an arrest warrant. But until police served that warrant, probation stopped in-person oversight. 10 days after that call, she was dead. 🧵 1/7

How a Gap in Tennessee’s Probation System Leaves Domestic Violence Victims in Danger Probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months — in one case it was over a year. Six mothers died duri...

Shocking story. How a Gap in Tennessee’s Probation System Leaves Domestic Violence Victims in Danger, by @paigepfleger.bsky.social @wpln.bsky.social @mariamelba.bsky.social