Blog

Juvenile Justice Reform
Teens turn corner with jury of their peers (News Star) The teen court program in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, in operation since 1986, allows juveniles who have been found guilty of nonviolent misdemeanors to go in front of a group of their peers for a second chance.
Revised court rules protect juveniles (Post-Gazette) Revamped juvenile court procedures in Pennsylvania will prevent schools from taking additional disciplinary measures when a child gets in legal trouble outside of school.

Criminal justice podcast with David Onek (Berkeley Law) Probation Officer Scott MacDonald discusses reducing racial disparities in the juvenile justice system, partnering with the community, using data to drive decision-making, sustaining reforms through leadership transitions, and more.
Five questions for Wansley Walters, head of Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice (FlaglerLive.com) In Miami-Dade, Walters spear-headed the use of civil citations and other diversion programs with generally applauded results. From 1998 to 2008, juvenile arrests dropped by 51 percent there, juvenile detention by 66 percent and re-arrests by 80 percent. It’s estimated that Miami-Dade saved more than $20 million as a result.

In 2009, about one in 17 youths was arrested, a total of 1.9 million, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection. Of that total, about one in 20 was white.  One in eight was black. While the reasons for this statistical divergence are up for debate, one fact is apparent: a disproportionate ratio of black youth are tried and held in the criminal justice system. 
According to a recently published study by Stanford psychologists, people tend to be more likely to approve of harsher sentences for black juveniles than white offenders. A group of around 650 (white) test subjects were found to be more likely to say that all juveniles should be treated as adults and given life without parole if the offender described was black.
Researchers found that this bias was not necessarily based on any preexisting racial bias or political affiliation among participants, suggesting black juveniles tend to be viewed as more responsible for their crimes than whites, regardless of age. Researchers found that simply bringing to mind a black (vs. white) juvenile offender led participants to view juveniles in general as significantly more similar to adults in their inherent culpability and to express more support for severe sentencing.

Do social networks influence delinquent youth behavior? A team of researchers at the Urban Institute, in partnership with Temple University, just released a report titled Social Networks, Delinquency, and Gang Membership: Using a Neighborhood Framework to Examine the Influence of Network Composition and Structure in a Latino Community. Caterina G. Roman and Carlena Orosco of Temple University, Meagan Cahill, Pamela Lachman, Samantha Lowry (with Megan Denver and Juan Pedroza) of the Urban Institute, and Christopher McCarty of the University of Florida authored the piece.
The report explores the nature of links which bind youth to groups and their associated social contexts. This study employed a social network framework in order to better understand patterns and relationships between youth in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Maryland, which is home to a large proportion of high-risk minors. The authors conducted a three-part network survey with 147 youth, with the goal of surveying all youth between the ages of 14 and 21 living in the target neighborhood.
 

The Children’s Law Center (CLC) recently released a report titled “Falling Through the Cracks: A New Look at Ohio Youth in the Adult Criminal Justice System” and an accompanying publication called “In Their Own Words.” The report focuses on youth in Ohio who are transferred to the adult court system or held in adult jails and prisons, while the second document highlights the stories and experiences of eight individuals – four family members and four youth – who have been personally affected by Ohio’s policy of transferring (or binding over) youth to the adult system.
In recent decades, changing Ohio laws have caused more youth to come into contact with the adult criminal justice system. Although the state has more recently taken steps to change this, the current process has resulted in over 300 youth placed in adult courts or adult jails and prisons each year throughout Ohio.

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Mentally ill children who don't get help can end up in criminal justice system (Northwest Indiana Times)  Parents, judges, prosecutors, and other officials in Indiana say there is a multi-agency failure to provide mental health services to the children who need it most.
  
• Are too many kids being sent to court for minor offenses? (Southern California Public Radio)  A growing wave of juvenile justice experts say school districts send too many students to court for minor offenses. Usually those kids are African American or Latino. A nonprofit’s effort to track school citations within Los Angeles Unified School District indicates that the district is following that pattern.
• Director of troubled youth agency to retire (Texas Tribune)  Cherie Townsend, the executive director of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, announced Tuesday that she will retire at the end of June after nearly four years leading the state's institutions for youth offenders.
  

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• New report: Health care costs drop if adolescent substance abusers use 12-step programs (University of Wisconsin-Madison) The use of 12-step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, by adolescents with a history of drug and alcohol abuse not only reduces the risk of relapse but also leads to lower health care costs, according to research by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
• Spotting depression in kids is essential (Albert Lea Tribune) There is a common misconception that many of the symptoms of depression, such as irritability and mood swings, are a normal part of adolescence. This is not the case and should be taken into account if there are other symptoms.
• A vaccination for depression (Chicago Tribune) Dr. Benjamin Van Voorhees, who is chief of general pediatrics at Children's Hospital University of Illinois, and his team identify kids at risk and then use a combination of traditional counseling and Internet-based learning to stave off mental disorders so they don't fall into substance abuse.

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!

In 2008, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention conducted the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), which is the most comprehensive survey to date to assess childhood victimizations. The survey was initiated under the OJJDP’s Safe Start program in efforts to increase authority knowledge of childhood victimizations, including sexual assault by an adult, kidnapping, gang or group assault, as well as indirect victimizations such as witness to assault and exposure to shooting of another.
Although the study primarily focused on which authorities, including police, school and medical officials, were more likely to know about certain types of victimizations, another interesting aspect of the study examined what kind of factors were preventing disclosure to authorities. It reported that authorities were less likely to know about victimizations of boys, Hispanic youth, and those of higher SES groups (Support Enforcement Services). Researchers speculate that victims with these characteristics are hesitant to report their exposure as a reflection of social norms and cultural concerns.
The study concludes that although there are higher rates of victimizations known to authorities, officials need to increase disclosure promotion aimed at these particular groups. It is important for victims to view these trained professionals as resources who can help protect them and not as people who they must fear.

Unique circumstances sometimes underlie juvenile delinquency cases. In order to properly handle those cases and prevent further wrongdoing, targeted approaches can specifically address those underlying circumstances in ways traditional juvenile justice systems cannot.
The circuit court in Winnebago County, Illinois, recently initiated the Youth Recovery Court for youths with mental illnesses or substance abuse issues. Specifically limited to youths charged with nonviolent offenses, the court seeks to treat the mental health or substance abuse issue to prevent further delinquency linked to those health issues. This community based program incorporates a high level of family participation to ensure adherence to the treatment plan.

Juvenile Justice Reform

• States have second thoughts about juveniles in adult court (Bellingham Herald) Nearly 20 years after the "iron fist" ruled in Colorado, the tide is turning in preference of checks and balances so that youth are not caught in the middle of the system.
• At-risk youths achieve in Texas (Go San Angelo) A $154,000 grant was awarded to the Tom Green County Juvenile Justice Department earlier this year to address the needs of children ages 6 through 13. The goal is to identify problems in school or the household before students end up on juvenile probation.
• Handcuffing of 8-year-old prompts change in school policy (Las Vegas Review Journal) When the Superintendent Dwight Jones learned of the arrest of Tyrus Williams, he ordered a policy change to reflect that juveniles of elementary age shall not be arrested and transported to any juvenile facility unless authorized by the chief of police.
• Psychiatrists stand against harmful juvenile justice system policies (National Juvenile Justice Network) In a recent policy statement, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) strongly opposes the use of solitary confinement for youth in trouble with the law. The statement discusses the fact that youth are especially sensitive to the known adverse effects of solitary confinement, like anxiety and psychosis.
• New report: Louisiana ‘strayed’ from commitment to juvenile justice reform (Youth Today) Nearly a decade after Louisiana committed to sweeping changes to the state’s struggling juvenile justice system, some advocates contend the governor and leaders in the state’s Office of Juvenile Justice are “backsliding” on their commitments to reform.

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment News
From The Partnership at Drugfree.org

• 7-Eleven announces move to prevent underage purchases of tobacco, potential inhalants  7-Eleven to launch a new technology that will scan the code on the back of a customer’s driver license or identification card, in a move to prevent minors from purchasing alcohol, tobacco, potential inhalants and lottery tickets.
• New report: Treating drug use as public health issue could lower crime rate A new government report suggests that treating drug use as a public health issue could lead to reduced crime rates. The annual report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy finds illegal drugs play a central role in criminal acts.

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!

In New York and North Carolina, 16 and 17 year old teens are automatically sent to adult criminal court for criminal offenses, including nonviolent charges. 
Lawmakers in North Carolina are already working to raise the juvenile age to 18 and now New York is following suit.
Writing at Child Welfare Watch, Alec Hamilton explains:

The effort to keep nonviolent 16- and 17-year-olds out of adult court has moved to the state legislature, which is considering two new juvenile justice bills. One, based on a proposal by the state’s chief judge, would establish permanent youth courts that prevent those tried for nonviolent offenses from picking up permanent criminal records—but would have little impact for thousands of 16- and 17-year-olds charged each year with violent felonies.
The second would raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18 for all but those accused of the most serious offenses, sending them automatically through the juvenile justice system...
Legislative observers say the bill that is most likely to move forward is a compromise that reflects the desire of youth advocates, legislators and Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman to raise the age of adult criminal prosecutions to 18 for nonviolent offenses, but will not overload the Family Court with thousands of new cases. In fact, the new youth courts would be located in and managed by the adult Criminal Court system.