Blog: No bio box

Juvenile Justice Reform

Opinion: Trust judges with juvenile placements
Denver Post
Right on Crime's research indicates that judges are the best public officials to make the determination of which system should handle a juvenile offender, as opposed to the current system where a prosecutor can directly transfer a juvenile to the adult system under the direct-file system.
Youth volunteers needed to continue Prince George’s County’s teen court program
Gazette.net
The Prince George’s County state attorney’s office’s Teen Court program is looking for additional teen volunteers to maintain the program. Teen Court is a diversion program for first-time juvenile offenders and provides them with a second chance to avoid the juvenile justice system. Juvenile offenders have the opportunity to admit their guilt and perform various tasks as punishment for their crimes.
Problems spiked in 2011 at troubled juvenile detention facilities
Baltimore Sun
Youth violence and staff uses of force spiked in 2011 at Maryland's most troubled juvenile detention centers, according to an annual report by the state's Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit, part of the attorney general's office. The number of incident reports filed rose 25 percent from 2010 to 2011 across the state's juvenile justice system to nearly 8,000, while some of the more violent categories of incidents increased even more.
Across the nation, state legislatures focus on children in 2012
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
State legislatures across the United States have been busy this year with youth and juvenile justice-related legislation.
Youth court aims to get misbehaving teens back on the right track
KSL
In Sandy, Utah, Youth Court is praised as one of the most successful juvenile programs in the state.
Guest Column: Sentencing children to die in prison is cruel and unusual punishment
Jurist
This past month, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs, two cases challenging the constitutionality of sentences of life without parole for children convicted of homicide. Many questions centered on the appropriate age limit for a constitutional prohibition on these sentences. The Court has to look no further than its recent precedent to find the answer: 18
Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment
Teens in Treatment for Substance Abuse can Benefit from 12-Step Programs
Join Together
Teenagers in treatment for substance abuse can benefit from 12-step programs, a new study suggests.
Synthetic Marijuana On the Rise: Looks Like Pot, but ‘Far Worse’
Christian Science Monitor
Antidrug activists are concerned by the rising use of man-made drugs known as synthetic marijuana, which purport to be a legal way to a herbal high but are actually dangerous chemical concoctions that are banned in many states.
New Florida State Law to Help get Synthetic Marijuana Off Store Shelves in Indian River County
TC Palm
Last year, Florida banned five of the chemicals used in Spice. This year, the state’s passed new legislation to eliminate the loopholes and provide a more effective ban on synthetic marijuana.
Six Tips to Protect Your Child from Online Drug Threats
Join Together
The Treatment Research Institute has developed a training program for parents that provides practical recommendations to help them defend their children from these online drug threats.
Sharp increase in prescription drug poisonings among teens reported
Join Together
Poisoning deaths among teenagers rose 91 percent between 2000 and 2009, primarily due to prescription drug abuse, according to anew report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC.
Economies of Scale in the Cocaine Industry
NYT’s Freakonomics Blog
As drug traffickers have become more organized (in processing, transport, and retail networks), the price of cocaine has plunged.
A Night Out with a Small Town Heroin Dealer
The Crime Report
Prescription pills are increasingly becoming a gateway drug that leads to heroin use. And small and suburban towns are not immune to the spread of this dangerous drug.
Drug Court can Claim Enviable Success Rate
Ledger-Enquirer
A Georgia county Juvenile Drug Court has reduced the recidivism rate to 15% while saving taxpayer dollars and getting teens into treatment programs.

I really wanted to attend the Homeboy Industries and teen substance abuse interventions panel at JMATE, but didn't make it to the session. So I missed learning about Homeboy Industries' Project STAR program that works with recently released juveniles with a history of the substance abuse. They offer in-house, trauma-informed treatment that is sensitive to the unique needs of formerly gang-involved youth. Mental health services are a central part of the program, as are job trainings and academic and life skills classes.
Started as an alternative to gang violence in Los Angeles, Homeboy Industries trains and hires at-risk, recently released and former gang involved young people with the goals of transforming troubled youth into productive members of their communities. They provide free counseling, education, tattoo removal, substance abuse and addiction assistance, job training and job placement services.
Fast Company has a terrific piece on Homeboy Industries, its founder (Father Gregory Boyle) and the key people in charge of running the nonprofit.
Father Gregory Boyle moved to East Los Angeles 26 years ago, and began walking and biking the neighborhood. He became friendly with the community and even visited gang members in the hospital. And one day, he realized that he could help residents escape the pervasive cycle of violence.

In Washington D.C., juveniles charged with certain offenses (including some misdemeanors and non-violent, low-level felonies) and diagnosed with a mental illness, can apply to be diverted to a specialized mental health court.
There, under the guidance of Judge Joan Goldfrank, youths are held accountable for their specific problem behavior—such as school attendance, substance abuse, or avoiding mental health treatment.
Early results are encouraging: out of the 56 enrolled in 2011, only eight were subsequently re-arrested. This rate, 14 percent, is far lower than the average re-arrest rates out of D.C.’s general juvenile courts, which hovers around forty percent.

Whew, what an incredible (and jam-packed) three days! Here are our very quick takeaways from the final day of the Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness 2012:
Susan Richardson, National Executive Director, Reclaiming Futures

• Youth consume more than 90% of their alcohol by binge drinking. And unfortunately, 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die annually as a result of binge drinking.
• Only half of kids are asked about or screened for drinking and smoking when they visit a physician. 
• When screening for substance use, the best questions to ask are about frequency of drinking and friends' drinking habits.
• When working with at-risk kids, it's critical to take a hard look at an substance an adolescent has used more than five times.
• The Longitudinal Pathways to Desistance Study is an important resource for those working with seriously offending teens.
• A substance use disorder changes the relationship between risk markers and gainful activity over 6 years (mental health diagnoses do not). A substance use disorder makes things much worse.
• Treatment provides a positive effect on marijuana use, offending and alcohol consumption for a period of time IF treatment continues for a sufficient length of time.

Liz Wu, Blog Editor, Reclaiming Futures

Half of all psychiatric disorders occur before the age of fifteen. Most childhood onset psychiatric disorders increase the risk of developing early onset substance use disorder. And substance use increases the risk of developing psychiatric disorders.
So, what can treatment providers do to improve the care of kids who are using substances and may have (or be developing) psychiatric disorders?
According to Dr. Paula Riggs (director, Division of Substance Dependence, University of Colorado's School of Medicine), treatment providers need to compile a detailed history of substance use disorders for the child and his/her family. The history should include:

• school risk factors (such as poor academic performance and substance use among the child’s friends);
• attention to any substance used more than five times;
• onset of substance use;
• the progression to current substance use; and
• frequency of use.

Dr. Riggs explained that this history is vital to understanding the cause of cause and risk of substance use and dependence. By gathering and analyzing this information, treatment providers will be able to provide a good diagnosis, which should drive treatment. “We shouldn’t be treating things unless we know what we are treating,” she said.

It's (almost)the end of day two at JMATE, which means we'd like to share our takeaways with you. Today started early and goes late and we are still processing everything we've learned so far. That being said, here are some very quick takeaways from the day:
Susan Richardson, National Executive Director, Reclaiming Futures

• Recovery is possible!
• Traumatized youth have witnessed adults behaving badly. Their bad behavior is a coping mechanism. 
• Don't ask youth "what's wrong with you?" instead ask "what happened to you?"
• If drugs hijacked the brain, could music help in building new neural pathways? YES - there is a dopamine release with music.

 
Cora Crary, Learning Collaborative Manager, Reclaiming Futures

This morning we took some time to honor and remember friends and mentors who passed away last year. I could never do these individuals and their legacies justice, so I'll just say that we've lost some real life heroes and champions of youth who continue to inspire us daily.
Reclaiming Futures lost a tireless youth advocate and mentor last October. At this JMATE session, colleague Denise Mannon remembered John Berry and spoke about her experience in working with him. John was a true friend and supporter of youth who worked as a justice fellow at Reclaiming Futures in Forsyth County, North Carolina. John was a humble man who supported his colleagues and often thanked them for their dedication and work. He is greatly missed. 
After his passing, Robin Jenkins (Chief Operating Officer, North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) released the following statement, praising John for his work and dedication to young people:

Well, JMATE is off to a great start! Day one is over and we're all looking forward to day two. Here are our takeaways from today:
Jim Carlton, Deputy Director, Reclaiming Futures

• Funding for prevention has been steadily declining over the years.
• We're now seeing an uptick in marijuana (and alcohol???) usage among teens as prevention messages and perceived risks decrease.
• Recovery services need to become as available as drugs and alcohol are.
• Child maltreatment is the biggest predictor of co-occurring disorders.
• Use of illegal substances and alcohol by adolescent girls have risen to nearly that of boys. Girls are more likely to abuse prescription drugs
• There is ongoing tension around evidence based practices and culturally based services. For example, there are hundreds of federally recognized native tribes in the U.S. but very little research done to validate evidence based practices with them. Many native treatment approaches have not been studied.

Across the country, substance abusing teens are dropping out of high school at alarming rates. But a recovery high school in downtown Boston is targeting youth in recovery with great success. At a JMATE 2012 panel on recovery schools, a staff member from Ostiguy Recovery School spoke about the differences between a recovery school and a regular school. At Ostiguy Recovery School:

• Students receive recovery support and counseling in addition to math and science
• Students lead their own sobriety groups which empowers them to take control of their lives
• Students WANT to be there (this is not a mandated rehab program)
• Students outreach at area schools to let troubled students know there is another option