"Youth News" Launched by Hocking County, Ohio
Reclaiming Futures Hocking County launched “Youth News”, a quarterly newsletter, in February. The first issue includes an interview with Natasha Cook, a young woman helped by the local juvenile court; a story about the difference positive relationships with family, community and church made in the life of Juvenile Probate Judge Richard Wallar when he was a 15-year-old – the average age of a young person in the juvenile justice system; and lists of volunteer, educational and recreational opportunities for teenagers in the area. The seven-page publication is edited by Gretchen Gregory with help from writers Christa Myers and Rev. Mark Daniels.
Great job, Hocking County!
Teens in the Justice System: the Economy, Disproportionality, and Foster Care
If you work with youth in the justice system, here's four resources from Chapin Hall Center for Children you might find helpful:
Juvenile Detention Reform - Hear from a National Expert
Got a question about juvenile detention reform?
Whether your community has been working to address disproportionate minority confinement for years, or is just beginning to think about how to address it, you'll want to tune into this online broadcast on juvenile detention reform on March 5th at 4:30 pm EST. Bart Lubow, who leads the Annie E. Casey Foundation's national Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), will be interviewed. He'll be taking quesions from the audience, too. Can't make it? Don't worry -- the recorded show will be archived.
Protecting Youth in the Justice System from Self-Incrimination
Lourdes Rosado is a Senior Attorney for Juvenile Law Center. Below, she introduces a useful guide to help your community screen teens for behavioral health and drug problems while protecting their rights in and out of juvenile court. Juvenile Law Center is the oldest multi-issue public interest law firm in the country dedicated to advancing the rights and well-being of children in jeopardy.—Ed.
Juvenile Justice and Teen A&D Treatment News Roundup
A lot's been happening in juvenile justice lately. Here's some high-and-lowlights:
- The Obama administration is nominating Seattle's police chief, R. Gil Kerlikowske, to be the new drug czar. This seems to be encouraging news, as he is chair of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a law enforcement association that favors prevention and intervention methods for addressing juvenile crime, and disseminates relevant research.
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation released its policy recomendations for reforming the juvenile justice system, just in time for Congress to consider reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA).
Two Judges Paid to Send Juveniles to Detention - Lessons Learned
Chances are, you saw the news that two judges in Pennsylvania pleaded guilty last week to charges that for five years, they funnelled teens into detention in exchange for $2.6 million in kickbacks. This, after they'd worked to get the county-run detention center shut down in 2002. An estimated 5,000 juveniles who appeared in court were victimized this way; many for behavior that should never have landed them in court in the first place. A class-action lawsuit brought by the Juvenile Law Center is in the offing, and possibly -- hopefully -- charges against those running the private detention centers.
This is appalling news. But it's also unusual. Juvenile court judges deserve the trust we place in them; they have a difficult job, trying to use the power of the court to help young people turn their lives around.
What can more fortunate jurisdictions, then, learn from this story? I came away thinking about two things:
Teen Substance Abuse Treatment and the Juvenile Court - Technology Helps Coordinate Services
[John Kelly, pictured below, is Associate Editor at Youth Today. His complete article is available to subscribers on the paper's website.-- Ed.]
In Indiana, a couple of techies built a case management system, Quest, that connected all the integral parties associated in juvenile and family court cases. It enabled judges to handle motions and docket changes online, staff to draft orders in real time, and juvenile justice officials to measure data and progress seamlessly.
Staffs in counties that use Quest swear by it; observers usually leave in awe when they are first introduced to it. I first saw how the system works when Indianapolis Judge Marilyn Moores off-handedly showed it to an audience during a presentation about truancy courts. About half the crowd stayed after the session to ask questions, but not about the truancy court.
Reclaiming Futures Kicks Off in Orange & Chatham Counties, North Carolina
Our project site in Orange and Chatham Counties, North Carolina, recently held its kick-off meeting, generating lots of excitement. Susan Powell, Community Fellow for the site -- pictured on the far left -- wrote in to tell us about it:
On Thursday, January 22, 2009, the Orange Chatham Counties Reclaiming Futures initiative hosted its kick-off meeting. Reclaiming Futures coach Elleen Deck & consultant Judy Schector did a wonderful job explaining the Reclaiming Futures model, goals, and approach to those in attendance. The Reclaiming Futures Fellows were pleased to see such a wonderful turn-out and participation by the group as a whole. Several prominent members of our community attended the meeting.
Engage Families in Juvenile Justice System Reform and Advocacy - More Ideas
A couple days ago, we posted six tips on engaging family members in your efforts to reform the juvenile justice system and how it works with teens with drug and alcohol problems. Grace Bauer, who authored the tips, wrote to say that some excellent additional resources are coming:
