$400,000 Federal Grant to Study Minorities in Juvenile Justice and More; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Teens Get a Second Chance (SouthBendTribune.com)
  It is not mission impossible for the Juvenile Justice Center teens enrolled in the first year "Mission Possible" program at the South Bend Kroc Center. According to the Childrens and Youth Ministries Manager Jacqueline Davis, the mission is to try to give struggling teens a new direction.
• Federal Grant to Help Study Minorities in Juvenile Justice (WyandotteDailyNews.com)
  U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom reported that a $400,000 federal grant to the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority will help evaluate disproportionate minority contact in the juvenile justice system.
• ROCA Selected for New Social Investment Program (Chelsea Record)
  Massachusetts will be the first state to implement the ‘pay for success’ model of social financing through a Juvenile Justice contract and ROCA of Chelsea will help lead the effort with two Social Innovation Financing (SIF) contracted partners.
• New Texas Juvenile Justice Priorities Could be in Jeopardy (PublicNewsService.org)
  Recent improvements to the long-troubled juvenile justice system in Texas are already in jeopardy, if a just-released survey of officials in 73 county youth probation departments is any indication.
• Feds: Mississippi County Runs 'School-to-Prison Pipeline' (CNN.com)
  Officials in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, have operated "a school-to-prison pipeline" that violates the constitutional rights of juveniles by incarcerating them for alleged school disciplinary infractions, some as minor as defiance, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.
• Memphis Begins Reforms of Beleaguered Juvenile Court (TheCommercialAppeal.com)
  Shelby County, Tennessee court officials say they will move the juvenile defense system from Juvenile Court oversight and place it under the office in charge of defending adults.
• Juvenile Justice Sets up Tip Line (The Augusta Chronical)
  The Atlanta, Georgia De­part­ment of Juvenile Jus­tice has a new investigative tool: a Web site where people can report suspicious activities at the state’s youth detention centers and court-services offices.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Teens Fare Better at Substance Abuse Facilities With Comprehensive Mental Health Services (DrugFree.org)
  Teenagers who receive substance abuse treatment at facilities with comprehensive mental health services fare better one year later, compared with those treated at facilities with fewer such services, or none at all, a new study finds. 
• Motivational Speaker Learned from Juvenile Drug Court (DailyPress.com)
  When Quwanisha Hines was arrested numerous times as a juvenile for crimes related to abusing alcohol and drugs, she could see her life going down the wrong path. One day, she said, she started imagining her future, and it wasn't pretty. 
• Area Teens, Battling Heroin Addictions, Face Obstacles to Sobriety (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
  Cameron awakens early each morning, leaves the comfortable suburban home he shares with his parents and drives across town to drink his methadone. It's a vast improvement over the past few years, when the 19-year-old sometimes spent mornings panhandling for drug money.
• Alcohol Ads Violating Industry Rules More Likely in Magazines Popular With Teens (DrugFree.org)
  Alcohol ads that violate industry guidelines are more likely to appear in magazines popular with teen readers, a new study finds. Ads violate industry guidelines if they appear to target a primarily underage audience, highlight the high alcohol content of a product, or portray drinking in conjunction with activities that require a high degree of alertness or coordination, such as swimming.

David Backes writes the Friday news roundup for Reclaiming Futures and contributes articles about juvenile justice reform and adolescent substance abuse treatment to ReclaimingFutures.org. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Santa Clara University. David works as an account executive for Prichard Communications.