Roundup: Routine Shackling of Juveniles in Courtroom Banned in FL, NY; and More

Juvenile Justice News and More - Editor's Picks of the Week

 
Juvenile Justice System & Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment News

• Routine shackling of youth in juvenile court was banned by a New York judge, because the practice violates the state's own rules. And in December, the Florida Supreme Court determined 6-1 that shackling youth in the courtroom was "repugnant, degrading, humiliating, and contrary to the state's primary purposes of the juvenile justice system." In both cases, exceptions are to be made for youth with the potential for violence.

• What is it about the Midwest? Journalists there seem to be leading the way in doing stories about their juvenile justice systems - and I think that's a good thing. Last year, MSNBC aired six episodes about the juvenile justice system in Lake County, Indiana. Now, Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ) is developing a multimedia series on the Illinois juvenile prison system. (Hat tip to @eckerdyouth.) You can learn more on the WBEZ blog. 
• For the first time ever, a school's zero tolerance policy on weapons was successfully challenged. 
• Some Chicago Public Schools officials "obstruct" troubled students trying to return to school. Meanwhile, Morton Alternative High School in Chicago has an unusual curriculum for the gang-involved youth in its program: intensive psychotherapy, in addition to academics. And, its results are impressive enough that it's being replicated in Michigan and New York City. One of school's social workers spoke for many people in the juvenile justice system when he said of the teens in the program:

"...[T]hey are amazing to work with ... when I don’t feel like pulling out my hair."

• Is your agency doing exemplary work in adolescent treatment? Then apply for the 2010 Science and Service Awards from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). There's no cash award, but prestige and recognition are important, too. Deadline to apply is April 9. (Hat tip to @Coughran.)
• Skeptical about whether an evidence-based family treatment can be successfully implemented in the juvenile justice system? Then you might be interested in reviewing a 2007 PowerPoint presentation given by Cynthia L. Rowe, Howard Liddle, and Gayle A. Dakof at a meeting of the American Family Therapy Association. They review the implementation of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) in a day treatment program for teens in the justice system struggling with alcohol and drug problems. 

 
Resources

• Want to give families a handy list of tips on how to find alcohol and drug treatment? Refer them to this great guide from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). (Hat tip to Recovery Month.) It's not teen-specific, but it covers the bases.  
• Here's a nifty online tool from The Finance Project to help you find federal funding for youth and family services.  Enter in keywords to narrow your search, and off you go.
• Next time you're looking for a tool kit or a "how-to", dig around in The Community Tool Box. Their mission is "promoting community health and development by connecting people, ideas and resources," and they have "more than 7,000 pages of practical guidance in creating change and improvement."  They also have an e-newsletter. (Hat tip to Paul Savery, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Co-ordinator at the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services.)
• However, if you're looking for information on juvenile reentry, make your first stop the National Reentry Resource Center.

 
Conferences

• The National Center for Victims of Crime will be holding its national conference September 14-16, 2010, in New Orleans. You can submit presentation proposals until March 15th. (Hat tip to Christa Myers, Project Director of Reclaiming Futures Hocking County, OH.) 
• The Blueprints for Violence Prevention Initiative conference will be held April 7-9, 2010, in San Antonio, TX. 

 
(Photo by banspy.)