“The individuals that we encounter on a daily basis are no longer the adults that throughout my career we had to deal with. It wasn’t as complex. Now we’re dealing with 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds.” – Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, Memphis Police Department chief

When the Memphis Police Department hosted its annual media meet-and-greet in December, MPD chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis stopped by the event to address the various reporters, editors and photographers gathered in a second-floor conference room at its downtown Memphis headquarters. Davis described the situation that many of her officers face on an increasingly regular basis: children with guns.

The Daily Memphian has been working to dive deeper into the pressing issue of juvenile crime. It’s complex and uncomfortable, with outsize effects on the city, its citizens and its very future.

‘Not in the best condition': Tennessee looks to replace youth detention center

Through this series of stories – Minor Offenders, Major Offenses – our team of reporters will examine the challenges these coming-of-age criminals present to our local law enforcement officers and our city at large.

We’ll report on car-related crimes as one of the driving factors of the problems Memphis is facing.

Truancy is often trotted out as a contributor to juvenile crime, so we’ll talk to experts who address that theory as well as other community challenges chronic absenteeism causes.

We will look at Shelby County Juvenile Court, both its structure and its troubled history, including six years of oversight by the United States Department of Justice, which ended in 2018. 

At the state level, we will report on a number of bills aimed at stiffening punishment for juvenile offenders. We’ll also write about conditions – and limitations – at the Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County, where many children in custody are accused of committing violent crimes.

Finally, we’ll report on solutions to some of the problems plaguing our city. There’s no quick and easy fix. But there are organizations and individuals with the will to work toward healing some of the problems facing the children of our community.