News21 | Kids Imprisoned | Photo & Multimedia Editor

Kids Imprisoned was an eight-month News21 investigation of the juvenile justice system in America. Thirty-five fellows from 16 universities produced 23 in-depth investigative or explanatory stories and 35 additional reports. All work was produced remotely due to the pandemic, including photos, videos and podcasts.

The project was awarded a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism award, first place in the Best in the West competition and was the winner of the Online Journalism Association Student Team Portfolio category. It was also an EPPY award finalist in the College Documentary/Investigation category and an IRE award finalist in the Collegiate Documentary category.

Click the image below to see the entire project and the complete list of fellows and staff.

COVID prevented in-person reporting for Kids Imprisoned, forcing a complete retooling of visual plans. All visuals for this project were produced remotely, using alternative storytelling approaches and virtual engagement.

Portraits were made remotely, by photographing live images projected on a screen using zoom and a video projector. (Portraits above by Gabriela Szymanowska.) To see the full set of portraits made by News21 photographers Michele Abercrombie, Layne Dowdall, Chloe Jones, Calah Schlabach, Gabriela Szymanowska and James Wooldridge, visit the Kids Imprisoned website.

About a quarter of kids who are incarcerated end up in private centers. The companies that own the facilities market them as cheaper, safer and more effective alternatives, but lawsuits and allegations raise questions. (Video reported by Jos Fox and Franco LaTona. Narration by Franco LaTona. Illustrations by Jos Fox.)

After 22 years in prison, Josh Cain was released on June 24, 2020. Cain, 40, spent his first weeks of freedom living with his mother and enjoying the company of his brother Trevor, who was released in 2017 after being incarcerated for a related 1998 crime. Cain's support system, he says, is the primary factor to his success. (Video directed and produced remotely by James Wooldridge.)