Much Ado About Sizzurp; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Age-Old Issue Persists about Justice (NWHerald.com)
  Illinois treats a 17-year-old who shoplifts an iPhone as an adult criminal: held with adults in jail, tried in adult criminal court, sent to adult prison if incarcerated, and issued an employment-crushing permanent criminal record, according to a recent report by the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.
• Overhauling Juvenile Justice (RockdaleNews.com)
  Georgia is on the brink of the most sweeping overhaul of the juvenile justice law in three decades and Rockdale is on the leading edge of those trends. “It’s going to be a new world,” said Rockdale Juvenile Court Judge William Schneider.
• School Policies Must Adjust for Juvenile Justice System to Improve (EdWeek.org)
  Changes in school policies will go a long way to dealing with some of the problems with the juvenile justice system, new recommendations for Congress and President Barack Obama say. In particular, the National Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Coalition says schools rely too heavily on law enforcement to handle behavior problems students, resulting in arrests for behavior that doesn't threaten the safety of other students or staff. The arrests can trigger a chain of contact with the juvenile justice system with a lifetime of repercussions.
• Addressing Girls' Health Needs at Juvenile Detention Centers (Los Angeles Times)
  L.A. County health and probation officials are trying to better identify and treat problems of girls in custody that often go undiagnosed and untreated.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Parents, Just Say No To Sharing Tales Of Drug Use With Kids (KUNC.org)
  It's a moment many parents dread — sitting down to talk with their kid about drugs. What should they say? Will the conversation have any effect? And should they mention their own youthful indiscretions?
• Much Ado About Sizzurp (The Atlantic)
  Rapper Lil Wayne's seizures and hospitalization highlight a double standard in hustler culture. Crack cocaine and heroin users are considered junkies. Meanwhile codeine "sizzurp" and pills are less stigmatized, but not necessarily any more benign.
• Youth Justice Struggles to Address Mental Health (BeumontEnterprise.com)
  In Texas, lawmakers are at the center of a national movement to reform the discipline system known as the school-to-prison pipeline. The cause has drawn bipartisan support with tales of citations issued for truancy, gum-chewing and possession of scissors. The proposed reforms focus on removing criminal sanctions for youthful behavior.

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.