By Maggie Calmes, The Lens staff writer |

The Lens criminal justice reporter Matt Davis returned last week to his hometown of Croydon, South London – but not before receiving laurels from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency.

Davis received a 2011 Prevention for a Safer Society Award from the organization for his story “Overmedicating Young Inmates Called Chemical Restraint,” which examined a statewide practice of dosing youth inmates with potent antipsychotic drugs even when they had not been diagnosed with conditions requiring medication.

The council also honored Lens news editor Jed Horne with the same award for editing the piece.

The council applies research to policy and practice in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and child welfare. It makes awards to journalists and those in film and literature who draw attention to these issues in a thoughtful way.

The Lens congratulates the Center for Public Integrity, National Public Radio, City Limits, Seattle Weekly, and several other peer organizations as fellow recipients.

Read more about the council and its full slate of 2011 recipients here.