Tough Times For Girls In Juvenile Justice System and More; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Kids Count Report Demonstrates New Jersey’s Successes In Juvenile Justice (NTToday.net)
  Advocates for Children of New Jersey today released a special juvenile justice Kids Count report entitled, “Measuring Change in New Jersey’s Treatment of Young Offenders.” The report details the successful reforms in juvenile justice since the implementation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Justice Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) in New Jersey.
• Tough Times For Girls In Juvenile Justice System (NPR.org)
  [AUDIO STORY] The number of boys locked up for crimes has dropped over the past decade, but the number of young women detained in jails and residential centers has moved in the other direction. Experts say girls make up the fastest-growing segment of the juvenile justice system, with more than 300,000 arrests and criminal charges every year.
• Common Sense Discipline In Denver Schools (RightOnCrime.com)
  Between 2009 and 2011, enrollment in Denver schools rose six percent. But even with an increased number of students, expulsions dropped 44 percent, from 185 to 104. That’s because the school district has adopted alternatives to zero-tolerance, such as restorative justice and conflict resolution, which seek to defuse and resolve disciplinary issues before they rise to a level demanding expulsion.
• South Dakota Counties Export Effective Juvenile Justice (RightOnCrime.com)
  Minnehaha and Pennington County, in South Dakota, have dropped juvenile detention rates by one-third and one-half, respectively, in just two years. Now the rest of the state is hoping to follow their lead.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

• Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It's free to browse and post!

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse Affects Mind, Body and Community (VisaliaTimesDelta.com)
  When adolescents abuse drugs and alcohol, the effects could last a lifetime. While many schools and the county gear up for Red Ribbon Week this week, which highlights drug and alcohol abuse prevention, local experts say it’s a topic that should be perennially addressed.
• RI Celebrates its First 'Recovery' High School (SFGate.com)
  Rhode Island's recovery school is designed to give students struggling with addiction a fresh start, away from temptations they might encounter upon returning to their old school. According to statistics cited by the academy, more than 90 percent of students returning from substance abuse treatment report being offered drugs on their first day back at school. More than 50 percent go on to relapse within 90 days.
• Why “Meducation” Isn’t the Answer to Failing Schools (PhoenixHouse.org)
  Last week, “meducation” was the word of the day on Stephen Colbert’s political comedy show, the Colbert Report. “We have tried everything to improve our public schools,” Colbert joked. “One thing we’ve overlooked is the most obvious answer of them all—wonder drugs.”

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.