What You Need to Know About Heroin Addiction; News Roundup

Juvenile Justice Reform

• White Paper: Need to Reform Mental Health Treatment for Incarcerated Youth (JJIE.org)
  National mental health organizations and experts are calling for reforming mental health services for incarcerated youth after recent reports revealed startlingly high numbers of mental health disorder in the population.
• Documentary Confronts Bias In Conn. Juvenile Justice System (CTLawTribune.com)
  By most accounts, Connecticut has made tremendous progress in reforming its juvenile justice system. But there's one serious problem remaining: racial disparities in the youths who are sent to juvenile lockups. That's the thrust of a recent Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network documentary, a production sponsored by the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and paid for with federal funds.
• SCREENING: JUST US Shines Light on the Epidemic of Generational Imprisonment (Just Us)
  JUST US, a documentary from filmmaker Nyjia Jones, carefully examines one of the biggest problems plaguing the justice system — the epidemic of generational imprisonment.

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

• Energy Drinks Linked With Alcohol And Drug Use In Teens (HuffingtonPost.com)
  Energy drinks are popular beverages among teens, but one new study suggests that teens who make these drinks a daily part of their diet may boost their risk of drug and alcohol use.
• Commentary: What You Need to Know About Heroin Addiction (Drugfree.org)
  Philip Seymour Hoffman’s tragic death has focused attention on heroin addiction. Unfortunately, heroin addiction is on the rise from teens to older adults.
• Teen Girls with Mental Health Issues Have Higher Risk of Pregnancy: Study (TheSpec.com)
  Adolescent girls with a major mental health disorder are three times more likely to get pregnant than those without a mental illness, say researchers, underscoring the need for specialized prevention programs for this vulnerable group of teens.

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.