Conditions in NC juvenile detention centers led to a closure and a lawsuit

By: Lynn Bonner

Outlets: North Carolina Newsline

Published: February 23, 2026

Words: 589

Last Updated: 1 week, 1 day ago

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Monitors with Disability Rights NC were so alarmed by what they found at a juvenile detention center in Madison County in December 2024 that they immediately called state officials.

Youth were being tased, pepper-sprayed — sometimes for no apparent reason — and were put on “lockdown” in cells for days or months at a time, according to the Disability Rights report.

After a separate investigation by a local child welfare agency, youth were removed …

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