Past Traumatic Experiences Common Among Detained Juveniles; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Efforts Sought to Rehabilitate Troubled Youth (Tribune-Democrat.com)
  While there have been drastic changes in the juvenile justice system in the wake of the “Kids for Cash” scandal, some advocates believe Pennsylvania has so far failed to widely embrace efforts to fully focus on rehabilitating troubled young people. One of the more innovative efforts in Pennsylvania involves the use of youth courts, in which young people themselves mete out justice for their peers.
• Bad Food, a Bible, and a Blanket: 24 Hours in Juvenile Solitary Confinement (Wired.com)
  As a photographer, how far would you go to get in the heads of your subjects? For Richard Ross, it meant 24 hours in solitary confinement at a juvenile detention center. Over six years, Ross has photographed hundreds of detention centers and interviewed more than a 1,000 children for a project called Juvenile-in-Justice that aims to educate people about the juvenile justice system. He’s as familiar as any outsider with the subject, but he decided it wasn’t enough.
• Past Traumatic Experiences Common Among Detained Juveniles (JJIE.org)
  Most young people placed in detention have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, according to a new report from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). “PTSD, Trauma and Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Detained Youth,” released Tuesday, included findings culled from the Northwestern Juvenile Project, which assessed more than 1,800 young detainees in Chicago between 1995 and 1998.
• Nebraska Gov. Heineman Signs Juvenile Justice Reform Bill, Focusing on Youth Rehabilitation (TheRepublic.com)
  Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has signed a juvenile justice reform bill into law. The measure by Sen. Brad Ashford, of Omaha, is designed to shift the state's focus toward rehabilitation for youths who break the law. Heineman approved the legislation on Wednesday during a news conference.
• Gov. Heineman Signs Juvenile Justice Reform into Law (Omaha.com)
  The state embarked on a new approach in dealing with troubled juveniles Wednesday. Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law a major reform bill that shifts the focus from incarceration to treatment for youthful offenders and puts state probation officers in charge of that rehabilitation work instead of state social workers.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Marijuana Dependence Researcher: Important to Focus on Teens (Drugfree.org)
  A drug used to treat liver toxicity in Tylenol overdoses may be helpful in treating teens dependent on marijuana, when it is combined with behavioral therapy, according to an expert speaking at the recent American Psychiatric Association annual meeting. The drug is one of a number of new treatments being tested for marijuana dependence, but is the only one so far tested solely in adolescents.
• Teen Depression Often Times Accompanied by Another Mental or Physical Illness (Philly.com)
   Depression in adolescents has gotten needed attention from the scientific community only in the last two decades. The chance of being afflicted with depression is about 10 percent in a lifetime. Twice as many girls as boys struggle with depression. What we’ve also found is that other mental illnesses often times accompany teen depression, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ,eating disorders, substance use disorders and conduct disorders.
• Online Media and Teen Suicide (HuffingtonPost.com)
  In the wake of 12-year-old Gabrielle Molina's suicide late last month, devastated parents and startled communities are seeking answers for how to best protect children and teens from the pressures of cyberbullying and digital harassment. Molina, a repeated victim of aggression from peers at school, also may have dealt with recurrent bullying online. A video of Molina fighting another student worked its way onto YouTube before her death, and Molina made reference to cyberbullying events in a suicide note left behind before she hanged herself in her home in Queens Village.
• Young Adults Should Look for 12-Step Groups With Peers, Expert Advises (Drugfree.org)
  Although they make up only a small percentage of 12-step program membership, teens and young adults can benefit greatly from attending meetings for groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), according to an expert from Harvard University.
• Program Addresses Substance Abuse, Kids (OurMidland.com)
  A local five-year pilot program aimed at reducing substance abuse by kids and making sure their futures stay bright has begun. Recovering Youth Futures, a project of Midland Kids First, is looking to get the word out about the program, the idea of which is to reach Midland County kids between the ages of 10 and 17 who have drug or alcohol problems before they become involved in the court system.

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.