The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Youth and Families" ...
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Trafficked
Youth Radio covered the issue of human trafficking into the sex trade, a problem prevalent in Oakland. Their coverage focused on the perspectives of the trafficked teenagers.The story "pieces together what life is like for girls who are kidnapped or ensnared by pimps -- and how law enforcement criminalizes juvenile victims, arresting them three times as often as the traffickers who exploit them."
Tags: prostitution; human trafficking; kidnapping; Youth and Family Services; Oakland, California; sex trade
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Gateways
Hagey found that Jamie Beletz and Mel Curtiss, the leaders of Gateways for Youth and Families, "could be jeopardizing the tax-exempt status" of Gateways. The two leaders had "conflict of interest and alleged instances of personal financial gain."
Tags: city hall; business; profit; tax returns
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Exporting Faith
The Boston Globe used "a complete raw database of all USAID awards (prime contracts, grants and agreements) obligated from FY 2001 to FY 2005" to investigate the results of President Bush's Executive Orders that "created the faith based initiative and relaxed federal regulations for religious groups using government funds that once sought to protect church-state separations." The series shows that the percentage of USAID awards going to ngo faith based organizations in 2005 was almost doubled the percentage in 2001, from 10.5% to 19.9%. This creates the potential for problems where aid recipients "might forgo assistance because they don't share in the religion of the provider."
Tags: separation of church and state; faith-based initiatives; foreign aid; executive orders; church-state ties; White House Office of Faith and Community Based Initiatives; President Bush; USAID; NGO; Christian evangelicals; Kenya; Angola; Pakistan; Focus on the Family; James Dobb; FOIA; UNICEF; UNDP; State Department; Samaritan's Purse; National Association of Evangelicals; Americans United for Separation of the Church and State; Global Health Outreach; Offfice of Volunteers for Prosperity; Youth for Christ; World Vision; Yellowbook;
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A Failure to Protect: Maryland's Troubled Group Homes
About 2,700 youths live in 330 privately-run group homes in Maryland. Although the state licenses, funds and supposedly regulates the homes, it fails to adequately protect the interests of children or of the taxpayers who are paying for their care. Children suffer abuse and neglect in the absence of strong state oversight. Regulators often license unqualified operators and then rely largely on them to police themselves. Some owners collect high salaries, enjoy expensive perks and reward friends and relatives with lucrative jobs or contracts, all paid for by the state.
Tags: group homes; Department of Human Resources; Evershine Residential Services; Social Services; bureaucracy; Office for Children; Youth and Families; children
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Nuestra Familia/Our Family
The Center for Investigative Reporting did a series of binational reports on the inner relationships of Northern California farm town gangs to the Nuestra Familia prison gang, and on law enforcement's questionable use of informants to infiltrate the gang. For years, Nuestra Familia and its rival prison gang the Mexican Mafia have controlled much of California's drug trade.
Tags: Latino; youth; gang; crime; Mexican Mafia; prison; Chavez
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Youth at Risk
The Great Falls Tribune's four-month, 13-part series of stories examines "the increasing number of teenagers with emotional or mental disorders, the reasons for their illnesses, and ways to make life less troubling for our teens."
Tags: teenagers; mental disorders; mental health care; troubled teens; Ritalin; hyperactivity; family dysfunction; Great Falls Juvenile Detention Center; child abuse
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Teens Who Kill
The Sun investigates increase in juvenile crime in San Bernardino County. The main findings: teen arrest rate is double the state average, and more and more high-profile murders have been committed by youngsters. "The stories document the impact of family dysfunction, drugs and poverty in turning kids into killers," according to The Sun contest questionnaire.
Tags: police; law enforcement; juvenile justice; courts; gangs; shootings; youth violence
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Can CYS be fixed?
Children and Youth Services in Pennsylvania is under fire like many similar departments around the country. The problem lies in balancing between protecting children and preserving families. Gutsy decisions will be needed to fix this broken system.
Tags: child services; child abuse; children; abuse
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Witchcraft in Oregon's Youth Prisons
A KEZI-TV's investigation reveals that Wicca, a satanism-related occult has been taught in Oregon youth prisons. The prison officials allowed rabbis, pastors and priests to spend time with the troubled teenagers. Juvenile detainees have been instructed not to share their participation in the occult with their families. Wiccans claim they teach the kids to use magic responsibly; child psychologists and prosecutors believe witchcraft is inappropriate to introduce to incarcerated children who have had bad judgment and have been anti-social.
Tags: cults; occultism; religion; Satanism; Gerald Gardner; Aleister Crowley; Alex Sanders; youth; ritualistic murder; law enforcement; corrections; satanic churches
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Shepherd of the Streets
Sun-Times reporter Bryan Smith spent six months following Kenny Ruiz, a man using his faith and street smarts to help kids in gangs is some of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods. Ruiz is the head of the Street Intervention Program, a program that tries to reach troubled youth through religion and understanding. In this three-part series, Smith finds that Ruiz's path is not an easy one, placing himself in danger to save the lives of youths he believes can change. But Ruiz also has had troubles of his own, and now has a family to consider alongside his work in the streets. Smith follows Ruiz as he struggles to connect with gangs and contemplates leaving the streets for a regular parish.