New Hope – Health Care for Justice-Involved Youth; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Years Later, Mother and Daughter Still Scarred By Teen Boot Camp Experiences (JJIE.org)
  Nicole’s story is one demonstrating both how far -- and how little -- mental health treatment in the nation’s juvenile justice systems have progressed. In a state fraught with Department of Youth Services troubles, she did not receive intensive treatment or rehabilitative services when she entered Alabama’s juvenile justice system.
• A Court to Give Juveniles a Chance (Tampa Bay Times)
  "Plenty of kids who commit serious crimes deserve adult court and adult sanctions. Others — like juveniles who end up there because a co-defendant qualifies for adult court — might be salvageable. As Judge Stoddard put it: 'Some kids have burned all their bridges. Some kids haven't had the opportunity.'"
• OP-ED: New Hope – Health Care for Justice-Involved Youth (JJIE.org)
  "We may not all become astronauts, actresses or the next NBA all-star, but the beliefs we have in ourselves during childhood are often reflections of the paths we take into adulthood. For this reason it is important for the health of a society to nurture, respect and enrich its youth."
• Courts Split Over Ruling on Juvenile Life Sentences (The Wall Street Journal)
  Jeffrey Ragland, sentenced to life without parole in 1986 for his involvement in the killing of a fellow teen with a tire-iron blow to the head, could soon be a free man. That outcome is the result of a ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court last month that found the sentence handed down to Mr. Ragland, now 44 years old, unconstitutional.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

• Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It's free to browse and post!

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Reducing the Risk of Parental Incarceration (The Future of Children Blog)
  To reduce children's exposure to the negative effects of having a parent incarcerated (for example, family financial strain, health and social problems, housing insecurity, etc.), Future of Children authors Bruce Western and Christopher Wildeman urged policymakers to limit prison time and provide effective drug treatment for nonviolent drug offenders.
• Shouting at Teenagers may Make Their Behavior Worse (CBSNews.com)
  "Don't yell" isn't just good advice for kids. Parents should heed it too, according to a new study released Wednesday. Thirteen-year-old adolescents whose parents shouted at them suffered more symptoms of depression than their peers who were spared the discipline, the study in the journal "Child Development" found.
• Substance Abuse Among U.S. Teens at Alarming Levels (Examiner.com)
  Despite advances in the battle against teen substance abuse, a new report shows that hundreds of thousands of American adolescents use alcohol, marijuana and illicit drugs on any given day.

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.