For the last several months, WBEZ has been bringing you stories describing how the juvenile justice system in Illinois has been failing in its mission to rehabilitate troubled young people. As part of the series, we’ve been asking: Is it even possible to create a prison that helps kids turn their lives around? Our criminal justice reporter, Robert Wildeboer, takes us to a youth prison in Washington D.C that operates on principles Illinois has on paper, but not in practice.

Listen to this and more stories from the series.
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Music Button:  Carmen Rizzo, “Falling Into Place”, from the CD Ornament of an Imposter, (Electrofone)