Juvenile Justice Overhaul Coming; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Georgia House Passes Juvenile Justice Reform Bill (RightOnCrime.com)
  Advocates say the changes could save taxpayers $88 million over five years by diverting the less dangerous juveniles into community-based programs instead of locking them up at a cost to taxpayers of $247 a day or $90,000 a year for each detained juvenile.
• Juvenile Justice Overhaul Coming (Walb.com)
  The Georgia state Senate unanimously approved a bill Wednesday aimed at reducing the number of repeat offenders. The bill was sponsored by Republican Rep. Wendy Willard of Sandy Springs, and was based on recommendations from the Governor.
• A Partnership for Sensible Juvenile Justice Reform in California (JJIE.org)
  California’s youth correctional system, the Division of Juvenile Facilities (DJF), continues to grapple over long-standing difficulties with rehabilitative programming, youth safety, aging facilities and high operational cost. With these challenges, policymakers and juvenile justice stakeholders increasingly recognize the need for substantial reform.
• Pioneering Educator Retires After 40 Years; Reformed Education in Juvenile Justice (TCDailyPlanet.net)
  It is said that a society (or a person) shall be judged by what it (or he or she) has done for the least of its citizens. If in fact that is the case, then Larry Lucio shall be looked upon with much favor. The veteran educator, with more than 40 years of shaping young minds to his credit, has dedicated his career – and in many ways, his life – to serving students who were previously given little chance to succeed.
• Getting Tough on Juvenile Justice (TheSocietyPages.org)
  Within the last thirty years the presence of adolescent offenders tried in criminal court has become increasingly commonplace. Scholars critical of this growing phenomenon have documented that the number of youth transferred to adult (criminal) court has gradually risen since the mid-1970s.
• Robert Listenbee Jr. Assumes Leadership of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Justice.gov)
  Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary announced that Robert L. Listenbee Jr. has assumed the role as administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). A highly respected public defender and juvenile justice system reformer, Listenbee began as OJJDP administrator Monday. Melodee Hanes, who has served as acting administrator since January 2012, will become OJJDP’s principal deputy administrator.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Florida Sees Significant Drop in Number of Oxycodone Deaths in First Half of 2012 (Drugfree.org)
  The number of deaths due to oxycodone decreased by 29 percent in Florida in the first six months of 2012, compared with the second half of the previous year, according to a new report.
• Children of Divorced Parents More Likely to Smoke as Adults, Study Finds (Drugfree.org)
  Children of divorced parents are more likely to smoke when they reach adulthood, compared with their peers whose parents have stayed together, a new study finds.

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.