MacArthur Pledges New $15 million to Juvenile Justice Reform; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• The Sting of Juvenile Detention (JJIE.org)
  When young people held in San Diego County’s juvenile hall are disciplined with pepper spray, guards at the Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility ask afterwards if they want a shower. The best response, says former youth offender Ian Arellano, is “no.” Water reactivates the sting—which then washes down your body, he explains. Instead of affecting just your arms or face, suddenly every pore burns.
• Providing Teddy Bears for Nueces County Juvenile Justice Center (KIIITV.com)
  It may not sound like a big deal -- the Nueces County Juvenile Justice Center, dangerously close to running out of teddy bears -- but it turns out, it is. "A lot of these kids that come in here are sad and confused, and traumatized," Chesney said. "And sometimes just the smallest gestures, like a stuffed animal, will help break the ice and allow them to talk more freely and feel more comfortable in talking to me."
• MacArthur Pledges New $15 million to Juvenile Justice Reform (JJIE.org)
  The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced it will increase its juvenile justice reform funding by some $15 million, a major part of which will be used to establish the new Models for Change Resource Center Partnership. “Right now there are no go-to places to get the kind of information, resources, toolkits, [and] access to colleagues who have ‘been there done that,’” for would-be juvenile justice reform advocates, said Laurie Garduque, director of justice reform for the MacArthur Foundation.
• Fixing Juvie Justice (KPBS.org)
  Young people in the United States are entering the youth justice system in shocking numbers, and many seem to come out worse than when they went in. The staggering costs and recidivism — more than half of incarcerated kids are likely to recommit crimes after being released — have led people to wonder if there is a better way to deal with youth offenders and whether exposure to the system itself could in fact be perpetuating a life of crime.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Viewpoint: How the Drug Treatment System Failed Cory Monteith (Time.com)
  The Vancouver coroner’s office revealed that “Glee” star Cory Monteith died of a toxic mixture of alcohol and heroin, weeks after leaving rehab for substance misuse. His death highlights the dangers of the post-rehab period, and why patients are most vulnerable just after they receive treatment.
• Targeting Disruptive Behavior in Early Childhood Can Reduce Teen Substance Abuse (PsychCentral.com)
  Canadian researchers believe early intervention for behavioral problems can reduce or prevent substance use in adolescence. The new study found that delivering a comprehensive two-year intervention program to disruptive kindergarten children from low socioeconomic backgrounds resulted in significant reduction in substance abuse throughout adolescence.
• Study Finds that Some Depressed Adolescents are at Higher Risk for Developing Anxiety (MedicalXpress.com)
  Some adolescents who suffer with symptoms of depression also may be at risk for developing anxiety, according to a new study of children's mental health. The study found that among youth who have symptoms of depression, the risk is most severe for those who have one or more of three risk factors, said psychologist Chrystyna D. Kouros, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, who led the study.
• Marijuana Use During Adolescence, Not Adulthood, May Cause Permanent Mental Illness (MedicalDaily.com)
  Marijuana has been welcomed across the nation in recent years. However, while there have been studies upon studies asserting its health benefits, there hasn't been nearly as much effort put into its effects on children's brains, and for obvious reasons — nobody is going to give kids marijuana for experimental purposes.

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.