Study: Many Convicted Juveniles Say They Falsely Admitted Crime; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Study: Many Convicted Juveniles Say They Falsely Admitted Crime (JJIE.org)
  More than a third of juveniles convicted of serious crimes said in a recent study they had falsely admitted to a crime they did not commit. The study, which appeared in the journal “Law and Human Behavior,” focused on 193 males aged 14 to 17 incarcerated in a California juvenile justice facility.
• Our Views: Give More Teens Second Chances in Juvenile Court (GazetteXtra.com)
  Wisconsin should give 17-year-old nonviolent first-time offenders a break. Instead of sending them to adult court and risking higher levels of recidivism, the state should keep these low-level offenders in the juvenile justice system, where they can get the help they might need.
• South Florida Squeezes School-to-Prison Pipeline (JJIE.org)
  South Florida’s Broward County School Board voted unanimously to sign new rules, written by many hands, which are meant to drive down arrests and their unintended consequences in the state’s second most populous school district. The Nov. 5 Memorandum of Understanding approved by the school board has its signatories promise “appropriate responses and use of resources when responding to school-based misbehavior.”
• Debate Over Role Of Government In Juvenile Justice System (WCTV.tv)
  More than 58,000 delinquents were arrested between 2011 and 2012, according to Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice. Because of those staggering numbers, The James Madison Institute hosted a debate at the Challenger Learning Center tonight.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• People, Places and Adolescent Substance Use: Multiple Dimensions of Drug Use (HealthCanal.com)
  Addiction is not just biological – there is a social dimension to understand. And how a teenager’s friends, favorite hangouts and feelings and moods all interact to influence substance use can say a lot.
• ADHD Diagnosis may Have Become too Broad Causing 'Needless and Harmful' Treatment for Children, Warns Study (DailyMail.co.uk)
  The diagnosis of ADHD may have become too broad, leading to needless and potentially harmful treatment for some children, researchers warn. A wider classification of symptoms for ADHD in the psychiatric ‘bible’ used by the profession has led to a steep rise in diagnosis and prescriptions for medication, the study warned.
• Social Stressors can Trigger Eating Disorders in Your Child (GreenBayPressGazette.com)
  With the start of a new school year, the stage is set for exciting experiences for teens. But there are also many emotional and stressful triggers as they adjust to new academic and social expectations, said Christy Baker Rogers, clinical director of the Carolina House, an eating disorder treatment center in Durham, N.C.
• Cyber Bullying More Difficult for Teenagers to Process Psychologically Than In-Person Bullying (ScienceDaily.com)
  Much has been said about cyber bullying, and how social media outlets have impacted the lives of teenagers. However, how do these new methods of bullying and torment differ from their face-to-face counterparts? In what ways do the teenagers on the receiving end of these bullying experiences process the experiences? At The Family Institute, an organization committed to strengthening and healing families from all walks of life through clinical service, education and research, mental health clinicians consider these questions as they treat their adolescent clients and their families.

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.