Weekly News Roundup

Every week we round up the latest news on juvenile justice reform, adolescent substance use treatment, and teen mental health. 

• In light of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, this month Medium is hosting a community-wide conversation on criminal justice reform. The two-week conversation is focused on mandatory-minimum sentencing and the war on drugs, but includes other aspects of criminal justice reform such as juvenile justice and policing. Medium will hold a Digital Town Hall Meeting as part of this conversation. The Town Hall kicks off on March 9th with a panel on racial disparities in the justice system.  [Medium]

• Liz Ryan and the Youth First Initiative have released new juvenile justice reform resources this past week, including this poll establishing support for seeking alternatives to youth incarceration, as well as this graphic interface which shows racial disparities and America's largest and oldest youth prisons from state-to-state. [The Chronicle of Social Change]

• National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD) is on March 10th, and the Office of Women's Health (OWH) is hosting a walk in Washington, DC. Find out more on how you can get involved. [Womenshealth.gov]

• President Obama has banned the use of solitary confinement for youth in federal prisons. Susan Dreyfus of Alliance for Strong Families and Communities discusses how this recent example and others indicate how brain science is finally starting to make its way into the formation of policies. Dreyfus says it is promising to see counties, states, the federal government and our president use science and data to guide system reform. [Juvenile Justice Information Exchange]

• Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) released this new video on the Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative program (BAMBI), a program which helps incarcerated mothers bond with their babies born in prison.  [Juvenile Justice Information Exchange]

• Recent research from Florida State University shows that fidgeting or moving while solving a problem may have a positive effect on kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Assistant Professor of Psychology Michael Kofler made this discovery while developing new, non-medication treatments for ADHD patients. [Science Daily]

• For new events, webinars, jobs, and grants visit the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board.