By Benjamin Chambers, May 15 2009
You've probably heard this already, but the new drug czar backed away from the "war on drugs" analogy, signalling a shift in U.S. policy toward more treatment and less emphasis on interdiction and incarceration. What you might not have heard, however, is that the administration's current budget still favors interdiction over prevention and treatment, according to an editorial in The Huffington Post.
- The first world congress on restorative juvenile justice is happening in Peru in November. Start composing your travel justifications now ...
- Seventeen of "the world's most successful antiviolence movements that began online" gathered in December at the Alliance of Youth Movements Summit to synthesize what worked. The result? Creating Grassroots Movements for Change: A Field Manual.
- Not everybody likes restorative justice, though. When police intervened after noise complaints about a 10-year-old kicking a soccer ball against a garden wall, people were outraged that they bothered.
- Meth cost society $23.4 billion in 2005 -- when use was at its peak -- according to estimates made by the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR).
- About 12% of U.S. kids lived with a parent who was addicted or abusing alcohol or drugs last year, according to Join Together, citing statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA).
- And Ohio's Department of Youth Services seems to be making progress reforming its juvenile justice facilities to be safer and connect teens with needed services, including treatment. Reading the before-and-after descriptions looks like the basis for a how-to blueprint.
Topics: News, No bio box, Public Policy
Updated: May 15 2009