Current State talks with Huffington Post reporter Dana Liebelson about her recent article about juvenile offenders in Michigan’s prison system and the challenges facing reporters covering the prison system.

In 2013, the Michigan Department of Corrections was sued by seven inmates who first entered the adult prison system before their 18th birthday. They say the state failed to protect them from sexual and physical abuse from both other inmates and prison staff while housed in those facilities. The state has denied those claims. This spring, two of the journalists reporting on the lawsuit had their notes and other materials subpoenaed by the Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s Office. Dana Liebelson from the Huffington Post was one of those reporters.

The subpoenas were later withdrawn, but Liebelson says it’s just one example of a frightening lack of transparency when it comes to the U.S. prison system. Her story on juvenile offenders housed in adult prisons was published last week along with an op-ed looking at the difficulties of reporting on prisons in the U.S.

Current State speaks with Dane Liebelson about the article and the challenges of reporting on prisons in the U.S.

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By April Van Buren July 6, 2015