A selection of The Imprint’s most impactful stories from the past year
In one of The Imprint’s last big stories of 2024, reporter Sara Tiano investigated the gap in logic that has emerged when it comes to the crossroads of child welfare and substance abuse. While there continues to be a growing acceptance in the medical community of medication-assisted treatment as a critical piece on the path to sobriety, there are still courts and child protection agencies who hold it against mothers trying to keep or reunite with their children.
“It’s against the law to hold it against people, but the courts don’t understand that,” said Montgomery County Juvenile Court Judge Anthony Capizzi of Ohio. As a second part in her series, Tiano profiled Nicole Costin, a mom who fought back in court after losing her newborn because she was using prescribed medication.
“She did everything the right way. She disclosed everything at the appropriate times,” said Costin’s attorney, Taleah Jennings. “And then she was penalized because of it.”
Meanwhile the scourge of fentanyl, a drug far stronger and more lethal than other opioids, has impacted the child welfare system. Jeremy Loudenback reported in 2024 on two western states considering different approaches on drug policy within child welfare. In New York, juvenile justice facilities became a focal point of the state’s fight against opioid overdoses after a youth died in custody.
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