Juvenile Injustice; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Juvenile Injustice (Honolulu Weekly)
  A recent study finds that native Hawaiian youth are twice as likely to end up in the juvenile justice system (JJS) as any other ethnic group. And with youth employment at lower rates in 2011 than at any time during the prior decade, the problem may get worse.
• Local Law Enforcement Officials See Drop in Juvenile Crime (Boston.com)
  From prosecutors to police officers on the street to the state Department of Youth Services, there is consensus that juvenile crime has declined in this region as well as the rest of the Massachusetts. Overall, juvenile crime is down 37 percent in Massachusetts from 2009 to 2011, according to a recent report by Citizens for Juvenile Justice, a research and advocacy group in Boston.
• Juvenile Court Reform in Tennessee (The New York Times)
  The juvenile justice system in the United States is supposed to focus on rehabilitation for young offenders. But for generations, it has largely been a purgatory, failing to protect them or give them the help and counseling they need to become law-abiding adults. Children who end up in juvenile courts often do not get due process protections like written complaints presenting the charges against them, adequate notice about legal proceedings or meaningful assistance of counsel.
• Meetings to be Held on Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in Kansas Criminal Justice System (DodgeGlobe.com)
  The state of Kansas is undertaking a statewide assessment on the extent to which minority youth are over-represented in the juvenile justice system. A series of public meetings will be held so that members of the public can hear the results of the study and to provide feedback to public officials involved in the juvenile justice system in Kansas.
• Durbin Chairs First Hearing on School to Prison Pipeline (DailyHerald.com)
  U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin Wednesday chaired the first federal hearing looking at the relationship between schools and the criminal justice system. The hearing follows a recent change in Illinois law prompted by an attack on an Elgin teacher and subsequent Daily Herald investigation.
• Juvenile Justice: State Sees Decrease in Incarcerated Youth (Amarillo.com)
  How times have changed for the Texas juvenile justice system. Five years ago, the number of youths locked up in state-run detention centers was about 4,700. Since then, the number has steadily dropped, and now it is less than 1,500 — more than a two-thirds reduction.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Navy Unveils Video Demonstrating Worrisome Effects of Bath Salts (Drugfree.org)
  The U.S. Navy has released a video that demonstrates the disturbing effects of bath salts, ABC News reports. The video is the latest weapon in the Navy’s effort to combat synthetic drug use.
• A Lifeline for Parents Concerned about a Child's Mental Health (Los Angeles Times)
  A vast array of new mental health services was made possible in California by a 2004, voter-approved tax on millionaires. But many feel that mental health "continues to be the stepchild" of the American healthcare system.
• Detaching With Love: How I Learned to Separate My Son and His Addiction (INTERVENE via Drugfree.org)
  "It’s hard to think of yourself as a loving parent when you know that for just a few hundred dollars you could get your child out of those situations. You wonder: if I don’t pay the bail, am I really a loving parent? But eventually, the day comes when you don’t pay. We once let our son sit in the 'Johnson County, KS, Resort' for 11 days because we wouldn’t post a $50 bond."
   

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.