Jodi S. Cohen
Jodi S. Cohen is a reporter for ProPublica, where she focuses on stories about schools and juvenile justice.
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Jodi S. Cohen is a reporter for ProPublica whose work has examined the widespread practice of police ticketing students at school for minor infractions, the misuse of seclusion and restraint in Illinois public schools, systemic problems in Michigan’s juvenile justice system after a girl was incarcerated during the pandemic for not doing her online school work and a college financial aid scam. She collaborated with colleagues to cover the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy for immigrants. Previously, Cohen worked at the Chicago Tribune for 14 years, where she covered higher education and helped expose a secret admissions system at the University of Illinois.
Her stories have led to changes in state laws and policies as well as the release of a teenager from detention. She has been awarded the Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism, the Education Writers Association Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize, the Investigative Reporters & Editors Award, the Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics, the ONA Award for Investigative Data Journalism, the Chicago Headline Club’s Watchdog Award and the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism. She also was honored with the Studs Terkel Award, which recognizes journalists whose career has been driven by service and connection to their communities.
Cohen graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Michigan, where she was managing editor of the campus newspaper, The Michigan Daily. Based in Chicago, she is passionate about local news and wants to hear your Midwest story tips.
Michigan Supreme Court Limits Use of Restraints on Juveniles
A year after Grace’s story drew national attention when she was jailed for not doing her online schoolwork, outcry over the shackling of young people in court has resulted in a ban on the practice unless there’s a risk of physical harm or flight.
After Grace’s Story, Michigan Will Study Its Juvenile Justice System
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed a task force to examine the state’s juvenile justice system and recommend reforms after a Black teen was jailed for not doing her online coursework.
Illinois Dramatically Limits Use of Seclusion and Face-Down Restraints in Schools
A new bill will ban school workers from locking children in seclusion spaces and limit most uses of isolated timeout and physical restraint. A ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation found widespread abuse of the practices in Illinois.
Illinois Continued to Seclude and Restrain Students This Year Even Though Many Schools Were Closed
Even during the coronavirus pandemic with limited in-person learning, staff at Illinois schools secluded and restrained students more than 15,000 times during the 2020-21 school year, new data shows.
Has Your Family Paid Fees or Fines to a Juvenile Justice System?
Has your family faced financial hardship as a result of a delinquency case? We’d like to hear from you.
Bill Banning Locked Seclusion and Face-Down Restraints in Illinois Schools Stalls as Lawmakers Run Out of Time
Illinois lawmakers pledge to try again to prohibit what one called “horrific and barbaric” methods of controlling students.
Judges Are Locking Up Children for Noncriminal Offenses Like Repeatedly Disobeying Their Parents and Skipping School
Michigan’s juvenile justice system is archaic. Counties act with little oversight, and the state keeps such poor data it doesn’t know how many juveniles it has in custody or what happens to them once they’re in the system.
National Ban on School Use of Seclusion and Restraint of Students Introduced in Congress
Congressional Democrats introduced legislation to ban schools from using physical restraints that can restrict students’ breathing, and from using isolated timeout. ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune last year revealed the harms of these practices.
New Data Shows the Use of Seclusion and Restraint Increased in Illinois Schools During the 2017–18 School Year
As lawmakers prepare to debate a statewide ban on seclusion and restraint, Illinois schools reported using seclusion — the practice of forcibly isolating a student in a small room or other space — at least 10,776 times in the 2017–18 school year.
Out of Jail and Back in School, Grace Finds Her Voice
“Your past does not define you,” Grace said in her first public event. The Michigan teen’s case sparked national outrage and the #FreeGrace campaign after she was sent to juvenile detention for not completing online schoolwork.