Analysis of Georgia's Juvenile Justice Reform; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Broken Families, Parents Without Skills, Kids in Juvenile Justice 
  Clayton County, Georgia, Juvenile Court Chief Judge Steven Teske said, “We are having a lot of low risk kids who have very high needs because of family dysfunction...(that) don’t belong here. We’re making them worse, resulting in a 65 percent recidivism rate when they get out.”
• Judge Among Backers of Plan to Raise Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction 
  Massachusetts considerers proposals to give the juvenile court jurisdiction over 18-year-olds. Lawmakers, a judge, and a sheriff testified before the Committee on Children and Families Tuesday in support of legislation to treat 17-year-olds as young offenders.
• One Case Makes the Case for Community Based Services 
  Opinion: We cannot miss the opportunity to recognize what good policy means to real people -- the police, probation and detention officers, social workers and therapists. Most importantly, we should seize this opportunity to explain how juvenile policy affects a real kid in a real family.

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

• Reminder: Great Online Resources for Families & Adolescents Struggling with Drug & Alcohol Issues 
  Life stressors and genetic factors influence adolescents’ drug and alcohol abuse, but parents and guardians can help by monitoring adolescents’ activities and keeping channels of communication open. Check out these resources.
• District Attorney Hosts Conference on Combating Teen Drug Use 
  Tackling the issue of teen substance abuse, including the growing prescription drug abuse epidemic, was the focus of a conference hosted by Middlesex, Massachusetts, District Attorney Marian T. Ryan and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
• Childhood Anxiety Disorder Linked to Earlier Drug Use 
  Among teenagers with substance abuse, those who also have social anxiety disorder are significantly more likely to start using marijuana at an earlier age than those without the anxiety disorder, new research shows.

Lori Howell regularly contributes articles about juvenile justice reform and adolescent substance abuse treatment to ReclaimingFutures.org. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in French from Seattle University. Lori works as a senior account director at Prichard Communications.