The Preventionist

An official in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley made a troubling discovery about the county’s Office of Youth Services. Workers were taking action against a large number of families based on the diagnosis of a hospital specialist…diagnoses that were frequently proven wrong. He argued money was wasted and lives were destroyed by an overabundance of caution from one doctor. Dr. Debra Jenssen made a career in multiple states finding signs of abuse others hadn’t found, and strong-arming authorities to take action against unsuspecting caretakers. Parents, social workers - and even judges - claimed the specialist too often misdiagnosed illness or accident as trauma, rejected contrary evidence, and upended families in a misguided effort to protect children.

The podcast “The Preventionist” from Serial Productions and The New York Times explores the rise of a powerful new field in medicine and the consequences of its “better safe than sorry” application by one doctor. Host Dyan Neary also highlights the story of a family trying to piece itself together after authorities took action on a questionable diagnosis of child abuse.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE PREVENTIONIST" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more.

About the show: Crime Writers On… is the original true‑crime review podcast, covering the best in true‑crime podcasts, documentaries, TV, film, journalism, and storytelling.

From Partners in Crime Media — creators of These Are Their Stories, the Law & Order aftershow and Netflix's You Can't Make This Up.

Keywords: true‑crime review, podcast review, documentary review, TV review, media criticism, pop‑culture commentary, crime documentaries, journalism, storytelling

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