Improving State Juvenile Justice Systems and More -- News Roundup

• Why Are All the Black Kids in Special Ed?
  Minority students (and especially Black students) are disproportionately diagnosed with disabilities and placed in special education or lowest-level courses. The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia makes the case for seeking a second opinion.
• Lasting Drop in Smoking, Delinquency, Drug Use
  Study shows that tenth-graders in towns using Communities That Care, a prevention system developed by University of Washington researchers, are less likely to have tried drinking or smoking compared with teens living in towns that had not adopted the system. Delinquent behavior, including stealing, vandalism and physical fights, decreased too.
• Kids-for-Cash Sentencing Set for November 4
  Robert J. Powell, the former co-owner of two juvenile detention centers in Pennsylvania who testified he paid kickbacks to two judges, may serve 21 to 27 months in prison for failing to report a felony and abetting tax evasion.

• October is National Youth Justice Awareness month
  Find events in your state that raise awareness about youth prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system. (Hat tip to SparkAction.)
• Video Campaign Offers Solid Advice for Working with Rape Survivors
  "Start By Believing" is sponsored by End Violence Against Women International, who envisions a world where gender-based violence is unacceptable; where perpetrators are held accountable; and victims receive the compassion, support, and justice they deserve.
• Register for Webinar: Improving State Juvenile Justice Systems
  The National Criminal Justice Association highlights policy changes that have affected secure detention and how evidence-based approaches to juvenile justice can make communities safer, save taxpayers money, and help better allocate resources.

  When: October 18, 2011, at 3 p.m. (EDT)
  Cost: Free
  Host email: twoodhams@ncja.org
  Register Online Cost: Free

• Podcast Series: Helping Youth Develop Soft Skills for Job Success
  This podcast series provides ideas for parents and families on activities they can do at home to help teen develop the skills needed for job success by the time he or she completes high school. (Hat tip to Paul Savery.)

Lori Howell is a Senior Associate at Prichard Communications. She is a seasoned public affairs practitioner with a background in public policy, fundraising, and education. Lori helps clients with online editorial services, media relations, and publications. Before joining Prichard Communications, she served as chief of staff for Greg Macpherson, a former Oregon state legislator, an account executive for the Northwest Evaluation Association, a nonprofit educational testing consortium, and once taught English in Choshi, Japan.