The Youth Development Center

New Hampshire has sent its most troubled kids to the same juvenile detention center for more than a century. It's a place that was supposed to nurture them, that instead hurt them – in some of the worst ways imaginable. It's now at the center of one of the biggest youth detention scandals in American history. How did this happen – and how did it finally come to light?

Episodes

Introducing: The Youth Development Center

June 4, 2024 • 4 mins

New Hampshire has sent its most troubled kids to the same juvenile detention center for more than a century. It's a place that was supposed to nurture them, that instead hurt them – in some of the worst ways imaginable. A place that for decades was a black box that people are finally seeing into, and what they’re finding is absolutely shocking. How did this happen? How did it finally come to light? Learn more about your ad choices...

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The Black Box

June 26, 2024 • 34 mins

Click here to read the companion digital story made in collaboration with The Pudding. To hear more stories by Jason Moon and NHPR's Document team, click here. To support investigative journalism like The Youth Development Center at NHPR, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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If You Let a Dog Bite You

June 26, 2024 • 36 mins

Karen Lemoine didn’t arrive at YDC looking to start trouble. But the red flags she saw were hard to ignore, especially when it came to one kid in particular. What trying to do the right thing cost both of them – and why, 30 years later, they’re speaking up again. Click here to read the companion digital story, see archival photos and internal documents, and explore an interactive timeline of the alleged abuse, made in collaboration...

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Sober Algebra

June 26, 2024 • 36 mins

This flood of roughly 1,300 people who’ve come forward all started with one man. How the widespread abuse at YDC finally came to light and how people are grappling with what justice and accountability even mean in a scandal so large. Click here to read the companion digital story made in collaboration with The Pudding. If you have suffered abuse and need someone to talk to, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-...

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Introducing: Safe to Drink

February 12, 2026 • 33 mins

Introducing “Safe to Drink:” A New Hampshire town finds out its water has been contaminated by a chemical. The most basic question — whether the water is safe to drink — doesn’t have a clear answer. Nobody seems to know much about this so-called forever chemical, which is weird because… this has all happened before. From the Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio, "Safe to Drink" is a four-part series about the water contamin...

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The Youth Development Center

Episodes

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.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}The Black Box

If You Let a Dog Bite You

Sober Algebra

Introducing: Safe to Drink

Popular Podcasts

Introducing: The Youth Development Center

The Black Box