Juvenile Crime Dips in Iowa and More; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Youth Court: Students Dispense Justice to First-Time Juvenile Offenders (Tulsa World)
  In the Youth Court program, student volunteers serve as the prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and bailiffs on cases involving first-time nonviolent juvenile offenders. The program operates in courts in Tulsa, Owasso and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
• Juvenile Justice: Courts Turn Focus to Rehabilitation (CoshoctonTribune.com)
  In Coshocton, many first-time juvenile offenders are placed in a diversion program rather than having an official complaint filed right away. If a juvenile is caught stealing, for example, his diversion program might include a theft-specific counseling program along with a special class for him and his parents.
• Juvenile Crime Dips in Iowa (KCRG.com)
  Juvenile crime is down in Iowa and officials are crediting research and justice system alternatives. Earlier this week, the Iowa Department of Human Rights’ Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning released a report, showing a more than 20 percent decrease in juvenile arrests between 2007 and 2010. Juveniles also made up a decreasing percentage of the state’s total arrests during those years.
• The Unfair Criminalization of Gay and Transgender Youth (Center for American Progress)
  Though gay and transgender youth represent just 5 percent to 7 percent of the nation’s overall youth population, they compose 13 to 15 percent of those currently in the juvenile justice system. These high rates of involvement in the juvenile justice system are a result of gay and transgender youth abandonment by their families and communities, and victimization in their schools—sad realities that place this group of young people at a heightened risk of entering the school-to-prison pipeline.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

• Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It's free to browse and post!

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Sobriety Tools That Fit in a Pocket (The New York Times)
  Medicine isn’t the only science paving new paths to sobriety. Thanks to a new mobile app from the Hazelden Foundation, alcoholics are now leaving rehab with an interactive version of the 12 Steps in their pocket.
• Spanking Batters Kids' Mental Health: Study (Health Day)
  Spanking or slapping your children may increase the odds that they will develop mental health issues that plague them in adulthood, a new study suggests.
• 74 Percent of Teens in CO Substance Abuse Treatment Programs Used Diverted Medical Marijuana (DrugFree.com)
  Three-quarters of teenage patients in substance abuse treatment programs in Denver, Colorado said they used someone else’s medical marijuana, according to a new study.

David Backes joined the Prichard Communications team in mid-2012 as an account executive with a focus on social media and digital communications. David began his career as a website copywriter and quickly transitioned into the marketing and advertising side of online communications. Always striving to add to his digital toolbox, David now has several years’ experience in social media marketing, search engine optimization, marketing automation, web design and development, and online usability testing and analysis.