Incorrigibles

Incorrigibles is a transmedia project that tells the stories of ‘incorrigible’ girls in the United States over the last 100 years—beginning with New York State. We draw on the personal narratives of young women in “the system” to investigate the history and present state of youth justice and social services for girls.

Our current project gathers information from archival documents from the New York State Training School for Girls (1904-1975). However, we are expanding our research to include all youth detention centers for girls in the United States and recording and sharing accounts of women alive today who were confined in these institutions. In addition, we organize community engagement events with young women and the public to encourage critical analysis around youth detention and behavioral intervention.