Trauma-Informed Judges Take Gentler Approach, Administer Problem-Solving Justice to Stop Cycle of ACEs; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Trauma-Informed Judges Take Gentler Approach, Administer Problem-Solving Justice to Stop Cycle of ACEs (SocialJusticeSolutions.org)
  Most judges in the United States are unfamiliar with the ACE Study and the research on the neurobiology of toxic stress that has emerged over the last 15 years. But that’s beginning to change in courtrooms across the U.S., due to a number of educational programs aimed at producing trauma-informed judges—and courts. As a result, trauma-informed judges have made some big changes.
• West Virginia Eases Strict Truancy Law (JJIE.org)
  Detention for truancy used to mean sitting in a classroom after school while your friends went out to play. In West Virginia, especially for the past five years, detention for unexcused absences has too often meant something else entirely: appearing before a magistrate and, in many cases, ultimately being locked up. For five unexcused absences. In an entire school year.
• Four New Mentoring Resources Approved (NationalMentoringResourceCenter.org)
  Four new mentoring resources have been shared on The National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC) Resources for Mentoring Programs page. These high-quality materials focus on recruitment, policies and procedures, training and communication tools. Each resource has gone through a vetting process and been given approval by the NMRC Research Board.
  

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Funding to Improve Health in Rural North Carolina Communities:  When Buzzwords Meet Change (HealthAffairs.org)
  For the past few years, among some of the most frequently used “philanthropy speak” have been the words “place based” and “collective change.” Unlike many buzzwords, though, these terms have meat behind them and continue to be studied and analyzed. That is why my colleague Doug Easterling from Wake Forest University and I turned to the research to start rethinking how the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust should approach grant making.
  
• Mark Alcohol Awareness Month in April (Times-Standard.com)
  The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) founded and sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month each year since 1987. The 2015 theme “For the Health of it: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction” speaks to educating our youth about the safety and health consequences of alcohol.
  
• The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Collaborate with DBB California on New Campaign That Offers Parents "Real Help" (PRNewswire.com)
  The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, a national nonprofit working to reduce substance abuse among adolescents by supporting families and engaging with teens, is collaborating with DDB California on a new, integrated creative campaign that includes TV, print and radio public service announcements (PSAs). The ads are part of a campaign called "Real Help," and are geared toward parents of teens and young adults who have been impacted by substance abuse or addiction.