Recovering Teens Find New Outlets Through Art; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Mock Court Gets Truant Students Back in the Classroom (JJIE.org)
  "At 7:30 on a Wednesday morning, truancy court is in session in a basement room at City Springs Elementary-Middle School. The judge, retired Baltimore City Juvenile Court Master Joyce T. Mitchell, ponders reasons a steady parade of students give for their truancy or tardiness."
• Double Charged: The True Cost of Juvenile Justice (Marketplace.org)
  Double Charged is a special investigation into the U.S. Juvenile Justice system, produced by Youth Radio. This is part one of a two-part series.
• OP-ED: The Uneasy Transition from Juvenile Hall to Life on the Outside (JJIE.org)
  "Exhilaration jolted through my body when I stepped back onto the grounds of Central Juvenile Hall for the first time since my release. I finally knew what it felt like to come back as a free man and not as a detained juvenile. I cherished how different it felt."
• New York City Teens Get a Second Chance Through Theater (ReclaimingFutures.org)
  "This week, I’m excited to report on an uplifting and innovative program in New York City designed to give justice-involved teens a second chance. The program, Stargate Theatre Company, was recently featured on NationSwell.com, so we got in touch with its co-designer, Evan Elkin."

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

• Recovering Teens Find New Outlets Through Art (Times Free Press)
  "The light and glow that emanates from the faces of the three teen artists is almost as bright as the colors in the shapes and figures on the 300-square-foot mural they helped create."
• Gov. Nikki Haley declares first week of May as Children’s Mental Health Week (Cola Daily)
  Gov. Nikki Haley on Wednesday proclaimed the first week of May as Children’s Mental Health Week for the state of South Carolina on the north steps of the Statehouse.
• May is Mental Health Month (My Plainview)
  For those who do not know, May is Mental Health Month. The purpose of mental health month is to introduce or increase awareness about mental health.

Cecilia Bianco is an account executive for Prichard Communications. She contributes to the Reclaiming Futures blog regarding topics of juvenile justice reform and substance abuse prevention.