Justice Reform Paying Off Sooner than Expected; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• [AUDIO] Juvenile Justice System Overhaul Signed into Law (NebraskaRadioNetwork.com)
  Nebraska will shift how it treats juvenile offenders under a bill signed into law by the governor. Gov. Dave Heineman has signed LB 561e, juvenile justice reform approved by the legislature. Heineman, during a news conference in his Capitol office, called the bill complex. Still, he has hopes for a simple outcome.
• Dramatic Reform of Juvenile Justice Takes Shape in Legislature (NorthPlatteBulletin.com)
  Juvenile criminals would be rehabilitated at home, with help from probation officers, under a bill advancing in the state Legislature.
  Lawmakers advanced LB 651, aiming to overhaul Nebraska’s juvenile justice system. The bill would transfer responsibility for the state’s roughly 3,000 juvenile offenders from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Office of Probation Administration.
• Nebraska Governor Vetoes $200K in Golf Tournament Funding (SFGate.com)
  Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman used a line-item veto Tuesday to strike $200,000 from a budget bill that was approved to promote the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament in Omaha. The Republican governor said the budget item was unjustified, given the state's other spending priorities on education and reforms to the state's juvenile justice services.
• Justice Reform Paying Off Sooner than Expected (Ledger-Enquirer.com)
  When Gov. Nathan Deal prompted the Georgia General Assembly to undertake sentencing reform for the adult criminal justice system (to be followed the next year by juvenile justice reform), he acknowledged that he didn't expect to see any substantial changes for a few years. In terms of the state prison population, that's certainly the case so far. In fact, the state inmate count actually rose slightly from the end of 2010 through last year.
• Massachusetts House Votes to Move 17-Year-Olds into Juvenile Justice System (WickedLocal.com)
  The House unanimously passed legislation Wednesday that would move 17-year-old offenders into the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts, ending the practice of routinely incarcerating 17-year-olds in adult corrections facilities.

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Survey Finds People in Recovery Experience Striking Improvements Over Time (Drugfree.org)
  The first nationwide survey of people in recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs finds their lives steadily improve in areas from employment to family life to community involvement. The online survey, released by the advocacy group Faces & Voices of Recovery, attempts to measure and quantify the effects of recovery over time.
• Renowned Psychiatrist Dr. John Sharp on Addiction, the Teen Brain and Early Intervention (Intervene.Drugfree.org)
  "We’re thrilled to share the following video featuring Dr. John Sharp, a renowned psychiatrist, bestselling author and faculty member at both the Harvard Medical School and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In this video, shot by Clio award-winning director Lori Hoeft, Sharp discusses the genetics of addiction, the developing teen brain and the importance of early intervention."

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.