Local Teens Work to Restore History; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Local Teens Work to Restore History (KTSM.com)
  Kids from El Paso gathered to restore the Trinity Community Center as a part of Global Youth Service Day.
• Efforts Underway to Boost Low Juvenile Expungement Numbers (JJIE.org)
  Thousands of young adults in Cook County are missing out on getting a clean start in life by failing to take advantage of the state’s liberal expungement laws for individuals who’ve committed crimes as a juvenile.
• Report Says Prosecution of Minors as Adults Has Poor Outcomes (The Chicago Bureau)
  An independent advocacy non-profit has concluded that a piece of legislation dating to 1982 and dubbed the “automatic transfer law,” which compels children ages of 15 or 16 charged with certain felony offenses to be charged as an adult, has significantly problematic consequences that go beyond discouraging rehabilitation and positive development of those sentenced.
• Models for Juvenile Justice Schools (JJIE.org)
  When 17-year-old Moriah Barrett first entered Camp Scott, a juvenile detention facility in Los Angeles County, Calif., she was already far behind in school credits in completing the 11th grade. Because of her charges, she would be spending the next five months of her life at the all-girls’ facility — finishing high school wasn’t on her mind.
• The Revolving Door: Wyoming Reliance on Jails for Mental Health Services Comes With Consequences (Trib.com)
  In Wyoming as well as around the country, jails and prisons operate as de facto mental health facilities, treating a disproportionately high number of offenders with mental illnesses, substance abuse issues and often both.

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

• Helping Young People Get Treatment in Juvenile Justice and Beyond (Reclaiming Futures blog)
  Focal Point magazine, produced by the Pathways Research and Training Center (RTC) at Portland State University, recently published a collaborative article between current and former Reclaiming Futures staff and partners examining how the Reclaiming Futures model saves money, reduces recidivism and improves abstinence from drug and alcohol abuse.
• Mental Health Experts Join Woodson High School Faculty (The Washington Post)
  A team of mental health experts will join the faculty at Woodson High School to support students and identify struggling teens, the Fairfax County school system announced Friday.
• School Notes: Fairfax County Plans Teen Mental Health Summit (FairfaxTimes.com)
  The Fairfax County school system will host what it calls a “community conversation” on teen mental health on Saturday, May 17, at Hayfield Secondary School.

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.