Improving Mental Health Starts with Early Childhood Relationships; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Juvenile Offenders in the US Deported for Life (Al Jazeera English)
  The Campaign for Youth Justice reports that 250,000 youth under the age of 18 are processed in adult criminal courts in the US each year. Once in adult court, minors are subject to the same punishments as adults, even if they are as young as 10 years old. In the past decade, the US Supreme Court has imposed limits on the types of punishments that can be imposed on juvenile offenders.
• Texas Lawmakers Consider Bill Restricting Solitary Confinement of Youths (TheRepublic.com)
  Texas lawmakers considered a proposal Tuesday night that would restrict the use of solitary confinement in juvenile detention centers. In a hearing before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte presented a bill to limit the practice to four hours except in cases of six specific types of major rule violations including assault and attempted escape.
• Department of Juvenile Justice Expanding Civil Citation Process (WearTV.com)
  Juveniles in Escambia County, Florida who commit a first time misdemeanor might be given a second chance. The Juvenile Civil Citation Expansion program will help give some a chance to keep a clean record. Juveniles with a first time misdemeanor could be given a citation and community service.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Program Aims to Keep Children Drug-Free (DailyIndependent.com)
  The program works similarly to drug court — juvenile offenders receive counseling, undergo drug testing, complete homework assignments and can avoid jail time and have the charges against them dismissed if they successfully complete the program. But, it has an added component that sets it apart — youngsters can be admitted to it without having criminal charges filed against them.
• 23% of Teens Surveyed Admit to Driving Under Influence of Alcohol or Drugs (Drugfree.org)
  A new survey of teens finds 23 percent admit they have driven under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs or marijuana. Almost 20 percent of teens who drink and drive say alcohol improves their driving, while 34 percent say the same about marijuana.
• Improving Mental Health Starts with Early Childhood Relationships (MedicalXpress.com)
  Making sure children grow up in a safe and stable environment is the goal of Iowa State University researchers working on a statewide evaluation through the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting programs. Researchers want to improve effectiveness as well as access for families to prevention and intervention programs.
• Researcher Uses Virtual Reality to Reduce Addiction Cravings (Drugfree.org)
  A Duke University researcher is studying whether virtual reality can be used to reduce cravings in people who are addicted. The goal is to help them develop coping strategies that they can use in the real world, Popular Science reports.

David Backes writes the Friday news roundup for Reclaiming Futures and contributes articles about juvenile justice reform and adolescent substance abuse treatment to ReclaimingFutures.org. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Santa Clara University. David works as an account executive for Prichard Communications.