Summer Program Teaches Teens Basics of Farm Work and More; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• [OPINION] With Volunteers' Help, Teens at Halfway House will Continue to Soar (Statesman.com)
  "The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (formerly the Texas Youth Commission) has been embroiled in difficult discussions with legislators and community leaders about policy, politics and performance for as long as most of us can remember. But what people like you and I often forget, or never think about, is that there are kids at stake."
• Clark County Juvenile Justice System Processing Fewer Teens (OregonLive.com)
  The number of teenagers entering Clark County's juvenile justice system has dropped by half in the last five years, leading those involved in the system to wonder why. In 2007, schools, police and other agencies referred to the county justice system a total of 3,575 juveniles who had committed misdemeanor and felony offenses. So far this year, the number is 1,584.
• A Roadmap to the Future of Juvenile Justice (NewAmericaMedia.org)
  Juvenile justice is transforming throughout America. Though there is a long road ahead to reform these systems into effective, rehabilitative programs that no longer make children worse, there is great promise in jurisdictions across the country, that are changing how they work with youth.
• Juveniles Entitled to Hearing Before Being Moved to State Prison, N.J. Court Panel Rules (NJ.com)
  Unruly juveniles housed at any of New Jersey's facilities for young offenders are entitled to a hearing before they're transferred to a state prison, a state appeals court panel ruled today. Teens under the jurisdiction of the state Juvenile Justice Commission need more than same-day notice of the transfer, the court said.
• Register Wants to Hear your Juvenile Justice Experiences (DesMoinesRegister.com)
  According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there were arrests of nearly 1.3 million people under age 18 in the United States in 2010. Despite public perception of teens being especially dangerous, less than 1 percent of the arrests were for murder, manslaughter or forcible rape.
• Summer Program Teaches Teens Basics of Farm Work (Missoulian.com)
  The Youth Harvest project is run in partnership with Missoula’s Youth Drug Court, Human Resource Council and Willard School. Some of the Youth Harvest members are referred through court, others through their teachers or counselors. All must apply and interview for the job.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Managing Mental Health at Work (The Wall Street Journal)
  Most workers have at least a few colleagues who struggle with depression or anxiety. More than one in four American adults has a diagnosable mental-health disorder, and one in 17 has a serious disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. But chances are their co-workers—and managers—have no idea who they are.
• Officials Announce Grants to Fight Drug Abuse (The State Journal)
  Some West Virginia counties are set to receive state and federal money to help combat the substance abuse epidemic. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Aug. 23 a statewide plan to fight the increasing problem by dedicating $7.5 million in state money to establish or expand regional substance abuse support services.
• Adolescent Pot Use Leaves Lasting Mental Deficits; Developing Brain Susceptible to Lasting Damage from Exposure to Marijuana (SciencyDaily.com)
  The persistent, dependent use of marijuana before age 18 has been shown to cause lasting harm to a person's intelligence, attention and memory, according to an international research team. Among a long-range study cohort of more than 1,000 New Zealanders, individuals who started using cannabis in adolescence and used it for years afterward showed an average decline in IQ of 8 points when their age 13 and age 38 IQ tests were compared.
• Influencing Drug Taking Decisions by Teens: Teaching Self-Regulation May be the Best Way to Go (AddictionPro.com)
  Acknowledging ongoing brain development by helping teen-agers be better at self-regulation is one of the surest ways for youth-serving professionals and parents to address teen-age substance use/dependence – including prescription drug diversion.

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.