Throwaway Kids
Encyclopedia
Throwaway Kids was a two-part investigative report airing on the ABC News
magazine 20/20 in 1981.
The report followed a nine-month undercover investigation by producers Karen Burnes and Bill Lichtenstein
. The reports detailed the documented abuse, neglect, and preventable deaths among children, the aged, and those with mental illness who were in the care and custody of the Oklahoma
Department of Human Services.
The main focus of the reports were the state's "warehousing" of children, many of whom were in state custody for being abused or abandoned. In turn, the state received per diem
federal funds for each child in its custody, but it failed to provide appropriate services for the children with the revenue.
At the time of the program, Oklahoma had no foster care system, so children who were abandoned, abused, neglected, or in need of supervision, were placed in large, outmoded, state-run institutions, many of which were located in rural areas of the state, and were without services or proper care. Lichtenstein
and Burnes obtained thousands of pages of confidential "Abuse Reports," generated by state workers and kept by the Department of Human Services, detailing the mistreatment of children in state's custody, ranging from children being beaten by often unqualified staff, to kids being locked in isolation for weeks at a time. There were also numerous unexplained deaths at the state hospital for children with mental retardation, which the investigation showed were the result of neglect and abuse by state workers.
Burnes and Lichtenstein were part of a team of reporters who collaborated on the investigation, which included ABC
's Sylvia Chase, Pulitzer Prize
-winners John Hanchette and Carlton Sherwood
of Gannett News Service, and the investigative team from local TV station KOCO, which was an ABC afiiliate and was owned by Gannett. This unprecedented investigation, involving national and local broadcast and print reporters, culminated with articles published by Gannett, a special two-part report on 20/20, "Throwaway Kids," produced by Burnes and Lichtenstein, and a series, "Oklahoma Shame," which aired locally in Oklahoma City on KOCO-TV. The series was honored with a 1982 Peabody Award
and a National Headliner Award, and was nominated for a national news Emmy Award
.
In 1982, only months after the reports ran, Lloyd E. Rader, Sr., the director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, resigned after 31 years with the department amidst a state investigation of financial misconduct involving patronage, illegal corporate hirings and abuse of the state bid system. In particular, Rader was accused of using state funds to hire private detectives to follow and harass the reporters investigating the Department of Human Services, and that he had used state workers to build a clinic for his son, Lloyd Rader, Jr., a doctor. The investigative team also uncovered what Rader referred to as his 130 page "legislative control file," containing the favors and patronage he had given to leading representatives in the state, up through Gov. George Nigh and U.S. Senator David Boran.
Today, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services
has almost eight thousand employees and a budget of $1.4 billion from state and federal funding. Currently the Department is involved in another lawsuit , with the advocacy group "Children's Rights," over its treatment of juveniles in state custody.
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
magazine 20/20 in 1981.
The report followed a nine-month undercover investigation by producers Karen Burnes and Bill Lichtenstein
Bill Lichtenstein
Bill Lichtenstein is a print and broadcast journalist and documentary producer. Lichtenstein is president of the independent media production company, Lichtenstein Creative Media....
. The reports detailed the documented abuse, neglect, and preventable deaths among children, the aged, and those with mental illness who were in the care and custody of the Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
Department of Human Services.
The main focus of the reports were the state's "warehousing" of children, many of whom were in state custody for being abused or abandoned. In turn, the state received per diem
Per diem
Per diem refers to a specific amount of money that an organization allows an individual to spend per day, to cover living and traveling expenses in connection with work...
federal funds for each child in its custody, but it failed to provide appropriate services for the children with the revenue.
At the time of the program, Oklahoma had no foster care system, so children who were abandoned, abused, neglected, or in need of supervision, were placed in large, outmoded, state-run institutions, many of which were located in rural areas of the state, and were without services or proper care. Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein is surname of:*Aharon Lichtenstein, noted Orthodox rabbi*Alfred Lichtenstein , an American philatelist*Alfred Lichtenstein , a German writer*Bill Lichtenstein, journalist and producer...
and Burnes obtained thousands of pages of confidential "Abuse Reports," generated by state workers and kept by the Department of Human Services, detailing the mistreatment of children in state's custody, ranging from children being beaten by often unqualified staff, to kids being locked in isolation for weeks at a time. There were also numerous unexplained deaths at the state hospital for children with mental retardation, which the investigation showed were the result of neglect and abuse by state workers.
Burnes and Lichtenstein were part of a team of reporters who collaborated on the investigation, which included ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Sylvia Chase, Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winners John Hanchette and Carlton Sherwood
Carlton Sherwood
Carlton Sherwood is an American journalist who produced the anti-John Kerry film Stolen Honor. Sherwood served on two news teams which were responsible for the award of the Pulitzer Prize and the Peabody Award to their organizations....
of Gannett News Service, and the investigative team from local TV station KOCO, which was an ABC afiiliate and was owned by Gannett. This unprecedented investigation, involving national and local broadcast and print reporters, culminated with articles published by Gannett, a special two-part report on 20/20, "Throwaway Kids," produced by Burnes and Lichtenstein, and a series, "Oklahoma Shame," which aired locally in Oklahoma City on KOCO-TV. The series was honored with a 1982 Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
and a National Headliner Award, and was nominated for a national news Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
.
In 1982, only months after the reports ran, Lloyd E. Rader, Sr., the director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, resigned after 31 years with the department amidst a state investigation of financial misconduct involving patronage, illegal corporate hirings and abuse of the state bid system. In particular, Rader was accused of using state funds to hire private detectives to follow and harass the reporters investigating the Department of Human Services, and that he had used state workers to build a clinic for his son, Lloyd Rader, Jr., a doctor. The investigative team also uncovered what Rader referred to as his 130 page "legislative control file," containing the favors and patronage he had given to leading representatives in the state, up through Gov. George Nigh and U.S. Senator David Boran.
Today, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services
Oklahoma Department of Human Services
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services is an agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for providing help to individuals and families in need through public assistance programs and managing services for seniors and people with disabilities. The Department is governed by the Commission on...
has almost eight thousand employees and a budget of $1.4 billion from state and federal funding. Currently the Department is involved in another lawsuit , with the advocacy group "Children's Rights," over its treatment of juveniles in state custody.