In Rutherford County, Tennessee, Judge Donna Scott Davenport has been locking up children as young as five years old…sometimes for crimes that DO NOT exist. She is the only juvenile judge in the county and has been imprisoning our children illegally for years. 

According to a report from WPLN and Propublica, Judge Donna Scott Davenport instituted a policy that all children charged with crimes be processed at the detention center. In 2016, 11 Black elementary school children were detained and or locked up after allegedly witnessing a fight between 5 and 6-year-old.

Middle Tennessee State University has cut ties with Judge Davenport, sending out an email stating that she is no longer affiliated with the university.

“There has to be something done to everyone who was involved in this,” said Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville). “It’s my understanding that they created a law that wasn’t even on the books in order to make that happen.”

Despite the public outcry stemming from “Judge” Davenport’s gross misuse of power, the U.S. Department of Justice has yet to launch an investigation to identify the child victims who now have criminal records and were forced to endure incarceration unlawfully, and hold Donna Davenport legally accountable for her crimes. 

Please sign this petition asking the Department of Justice to launch a full investigation to determine why Donna Davenport forced our children to serve time behind bars and through the legal system. There is a reason why, in 2014, 48% of children were jailed under Judge Davenport’s watch while the statewide average at the time was 5%.