Program fosters trust between youth, police and more; news roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Studying the gap between boys and girls inside the department of juvenile services (WYPR Public Radio) Maryland Morning Radio talks with Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit head Nick Moroney about how things have –- or haven’t -– changed for girls in the juvenile justice system.
• Young people in trouble with the law receive diplomas a in Stockton, Calif. (Central Stockton News 10) “Rehabilitation is the primary objective of our juvenile justice program and a high school education is the foundation for building a successful life,” said Matthew Cate, Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility Secretary.
• Juvenile justice increasing safety and saving money in Delaware (Delaware Online) Delaware has improved its juvenile justice system in recent years, helping more young people return to their families and learn to stay out of trouble, according to a report released June 12.
• Program fosters trust between youth and police (Post-Gazette) Pittsburgh encourages honest dialogue in meetings between police officers and teenagers in an effort to reduce the number of young people of color caught up in the system.
• Connecticut's Juvenile Review Board tries to keep young people out of court system (Middletown Press) Connecticut Juvenile Review Board members, drawn from local youth-oriented nonprofits and service agencies, are empowered to take cases of first-time offenders referred from juvenile court. As a test, the group is also taking students referred by a local middle school.
• Program works to keep kids out of juvenile justice and child welfare systems (PostCrescent.com) Leaders of a national project, sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation and Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, selected Outagamie County, Wisconsin as one of four counties in the nation to receive aid and technical assistance to prevent children from entering both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• "Spice" and K2 vs. "Bath Salts": The other designer drug scare (Forbes) Addiction specialists are seeing a sudden spike in overdoses and admissions for the designer drug known as Spice or K2.
• New study says teen alcohol abuse may be cause, rather than effect, of social isolation and poor grades (Huffington Post) The Journal of Health and Social Behavior has found that alcohol consumption may lead to increased social stress and poor grades, especially among students in schools with tight friendship circles and low rates of drinking -- rather than vice versa.
• Six skill sets every child needs to guard against addiction (PsychCentral.com) Addiction is not parents’ fault (about half the risk is genetic), but you can influence the course of your child’s life by helping them develop the skills that protect against addiction.
• Treating teens for depression can reduce odds of future drug abuse (Drugfree.org) A study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology finds treatment methods like cognitive behavioral therapy and medication effective in reducing drug abuse in a five-year study that included 192 teenagers across the country.
   

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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.