[OPINION] Florida is Poorly Equipped to Deal with Juveniles Accused of Murder and More; News Roundup

 
Juvenile Justice Reform

• DJJ Offenders Meet Their Victims In New BARJ Program (WLTX.com)
  Tuesday there was a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Department of Juvenile Justice's Broad River Road complex in South Carolina as officials announced the implementation of a program called Balanced and Restorative Justice, or BARJ. The program allows young offenders to collaborate with their parents, the victim and officers to come up with solutions to their crimes.
• New Term for U.S. Supreme Court Prompts Reflection on Children's Rights (Juvenile Law Center)
  Since 1917, the first Monday in October has been the official opening day of the annual term of the United States Supreme Court. For the first time in many years, there are no cases currently set for review that raise large questions about children’s status under the Constitution. So … it seems like a good time to pause and reflect on how children and youth have fared in recent years.
• Feds End Monitoring of Juvenile Justice Spending (OnlineAthens.com)
  The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice has satisfied federal auditors that it no longer requires intensive monitoring, members of the state agency’s board learned Thursday. The monitoring began last winter when officials from the U.S. Department of Education issued citations to the state agency for how it was handling $3.3 million in federal funds earmarked for schooling children in detention.
• [OPINION] Florida is Poorly Equipped to Deal with Juveniles Accused of Murder (Jacksonville.com)
  The twists and turns in the case of 13-year-old Cristian Fernandez show how ill-equipped Florida is to deal with juveniles in such cases. A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an Alabama case leaves the young man facing charges for murder for which there are no applicable penalties.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Violent Events Have Long-Term Effects on Children (HuffingtonPost.com)
  Everyone responds differently to terror. Like adults, some children are naturally resilient. Others can suffer scars that, untreated, last well into adulthood. Among the repercussions most commonly endured by children exposed to violence are: post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, attachment issues, difficulty concentrating, sleep disorders, suicidal thoughts, alcohol and substance abuse and delinquent behavior.
• eBay Begins Removing Alcohol Listings After '20/20' Report on Teen Buyer (ABCNews.com)
  The online marketplace eBay has said it will begin removing listings for beer and liquor from its site after a teen working with "20/20" successfully ordered vodka from two eBay vendors. The vendors advertised their products as "collectible."
• Psychiatric Disorders Often Persist in Juvenile Offenders (HealthDay.com)
  Five years after being released from juvenile detention, more than 45 percent of males and nearly 30 percent of females still had psychiatric disorders, 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.