Juvenile Justice System and Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment News

• At a recent symposium, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the indigent defense system was in "crisis." Now, the Department of Justice is launching "Access to Justice" to begin to work on solutions. (Hat tip to @piper.)
• The Attorney General also announced the creation of the Tribal Nations Leadership Council to advise him. Its formation "marks the first time a council composed of tribal leaders selected by tribal governments will advise Justice Department leadership on an ongoing basis."
• The number of juvenile offenders in residential placement dropped again this past year, according to a new fact sheet from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), "Juveniles in Residential Placement 1997-2008".
• The Justice Policy Institute (JPI) slammed Obama's justice budget: "more policing, prisons and punitive policies."

• A little over a year ago, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University merged with Join Together at Boston University. The Reclaiming Futures staff had high hopes for what the merger would mean for the addiction field, but things apparently didn't work out, according to Youth Today. Unfortunately, Join Together is now very short on funds and needs your help.
• The Annie E. Casey Foundation -- long-time funder of the Juvenile Detentional Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) -- has named Patrick T. McCarthy as its new president and CEO.

Research

• Why do so many school districts still use the D.A.R.E. drug prevention program, despite a fair amount of research showing that it's ineffective? The answers might surprise you. Check out "Lessons from the Battle over D.A.R.E.: the Complicated Relationship between Research and Practice," a short report from the Center for Court Innovation and the Bureau of Justice Affairs. A fascinating case study on the fascinating interplay between researchers and decision-makers.  (Hat tip to @policy4results.)
• "As the nation faces policy challenges over juvenile delinquency and subsequent crime, one all-but-forgotten option remains as promising as ever despite its virtual absence in recent national discussions and debates: a comprehensive daycare and after-school care policy." That's from "Delinquency and Daycare," which appeared recently in the Harvard Law & Policy Review. (Hat tip to Policy for Results.)

Learning Opportunities: Conferences, Webinars, Etc.

• Want to learn more about the MacArthur Foundation's Pathways to Desistance research on what works with serious juvenile offenders? The National Juvenile Justice Network has just posted a recording of its January 28th teleconference with Dr. Edward P. Mulvey, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. You can access the audio recording and Dr. Mulvey's PowerPoint presentation here.
• The rate of federal debt increase is unsustainble, but is it irreversible? That's the topic of "Desperately Seeking Revenue," an audio webcast hosted by the Urban Institute on Tuesday March 2, 2010, 12pm - 1:30 pm (EST).  One of the panelists is the co-author of an Urban Institute publication that's also titled "Desperately Seeking Revenue." 
• “The Backdoor of the Juvenile Courts: Waivers and the Impact of Criminalization," a free one-day symposium, will be held by The Louisiana State University Law Center March 19, 2010.  The symposium will "focus on the increasing use of statutory waiver and transfer provisions to try juveniles in adult criminal courts, and whether this phenomenon can be reconciled with the original purposes of juvenile courts."
• The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families will host “Fulfilling the Promise of Juvenile Justice” on March 30-31, 2010, in Madison, Wisconsin. It's a "multidisciplinary two-day conference focused on how the juvenile justice system began and where it is now, and is open to all professionals working with juveniles." Click here to register. (Hat tip to the National Juvenile Justice Network.)

• The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will host "Blending Addiction Science and Treatment:  Evidence-Based Treatment and Prevention in Diverse Populations and Settings," on April 22-23, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.