News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Los Angeles Juvenile Justice System Overhaul Pondered (JJIE.org)
  Los Angeles County supervisors are considering an overhaul of the county's system for defending juveniles accused of crimes. Under-age criminal defendants who can't afford a lawyer are generally represented by someone from the county public defender's office. But when that office is already representing another defendant in the case or a special circumstance arises, lawyers from a separate panel step in to remove the potential conflict of interest.
• Multnomah County, Oregon, Taps Federal Dollars for New Juvenile Justice Program (The Oregonian)
  A new Multnomah County initiative to keep wayward kids with their families and out of jail could spur big changes to the youth corrections system statewide. On Tuesday, leaders from the county's Department of Community Justice announced plans to tap into federal money to help at-risk youth stay at home or in foster care while they are on probation, instead of shipping them to a youth home or correctional facility.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

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Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Kentucky Prescription Drug Abuse Law Has Unintended Consequences: Expert (Drugfree.org)
  Kentucky’s law designed to reduce prescription drug abuse has raised awareness about the problem, but has had some unintended consequences, according to an addiction medicine specialist in the state.
• Family Problems Experienced in Childhood and Adolescence Affect Brain Development (MedicalXpress.com)
  New research has revealed that exposure to common family problems during childhood and early adolescence affects brain development, which could lead to mental health issues in later life.
• Lack of Sleep and Exercise, too Much TV Affects Teens' Mental Health (MedicalNewsToday.com)
  In these modern times, it can be hard to prise away teenagers from the clutches of TV or video games. Now, new research suggests that high media use, combined with low physical activity and lack of sleep, may increase the risk of mental illness for adolescents.

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.