Juvenile Justice Bill Clears Ky. Senate; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Juvenile Justice Bill Clears Ky. Senate (Kentucky.com)
  Legislation aimed at having fewer children locked up in juvenile detention centers passed the Kentucky Senate by a wide margin Thursday, providing momentum for some of the biggest proposed changes in decades to the justice system for minors.
• JJIE Releases New Digital Magazine Telling Stories of Justice In US (JJIE.org)
  In 10 articles, the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange’s new digital magazine explores many of the key issues that come to play in youth justice, including mental health, substance abuse and the overrepresentation of kids of color in the system.
• ACLU Wants Supreme Court to Review Shackling of Juveniles (JJIE.org)
  The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio is asking the state’s highest court to stop the indiscriminate restraint of children in juvenile courts.
• Nominate a White House Champion of Change for Expanding Reentry Employment Opportunities (Whitehouse.gov)
  Stable employment – like stable housing, family and community support, and access to substance abuse and mental health treatment – is critical to the rehabilitation, stability and successful reentry of individuals who have been incarcerated and are returning to our communities.

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 and Mental Health

• Center Offers Free Classes on Teen Mental Illness (The Topeka Capital-Journal)
  Members of the public can learn more next week about helping teenagers who are experiencing a crisis or mental illness at free classes offered by the Family Service & Guidance Center.
• OUR OPINION: Mental Health of Juvenile Detainees in Maine Must be Addressed (Morning Sentinel)
  On any day, about 100 young men and women between the ages of 14 and 21 reside in Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, one of Maine’s two juvenile detention facilities.
• New Research Finds Excessive Discipline Harms Student Achievement (Reclaiming Futures Blog)
  In a report by the Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative, discrepancies in school discipline are found to be a serious problem that result in a wide range of negative student outcomes, including lowered academic achievement, increased risk of dropout, and increased likelihood of contact with the juvenile justice system.

Ashley Heinonen writes the Friday news roundup, opportunity board roundup, and contributes articles featuring information about juvenile justice reform to ReclaimingFutures.org. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University and is currently an assistant account executive for Prichard Communications.