Youth Justice News Roundup

We round up the latest news on youth justice reform and national public health.

• Compromise reached on "Second Chance" legislation; raising the age debate now closed.  Gov. Dannel P. Malloy argued to raise the age of youth in the state juvenile justice system, but the debate ended last weekend in a compromise with Democratic leadership on bail reform for non-violent, misdemeanor offenses.  [NBC Connecticut]

• White House deletes FDA's planned policy and rationale for restricting flavored e-cigarettes. After demonstrating the appeal of flavored products to youth and young adults, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submitted a tobacco regulation on flavored e-cigarettes to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The FDA policy and rationale for the restrictions were deleted by the OMB; no comments on why at this time. [NBC News] 

• Teen birth rate rapidly declined by 43 percent since 2007, new federal data shows.  While in the late '80s and early '90s teen pregnancy was a major national public health concern, new federal data finds that teen births have dropped considerably in numbers since the '90s. The rate even declined by almost half between 2007 and 2015.  [Vox Media]

• New Louisiana bill would grant parole to people sentenced to life as juveniles.  Under the new bill, justice-involved youth would be granted a parole option after serving 35 years of a life sentence in prison. This also includes over 300 people currently in Louisiana prisons who would be granted this option if the bill is approved. [The Huffington Post]

• OSI-Baltimore hosts their second "Talking About Addiction" event. Open Society Institute-Baltimore hosted the second event in their "Talking About Addiction" series on Wednesday. The discussion was focused on youth justice and addiction; the panel of speakers included Evan Elkin (Reclaiming Futures), as well as Dr. Hoover Adger (Johns Hopkins Children's Center) and Carin Callan Miller (Save Our Children). [Open Society Institute-Baltimore]

• Hawaii teens must often seek mental health treatment off-island, reports show; virtual therapy could help. The Associated Press reports that many teens in Hawaii face long waits for mental health treatment and must go off-island in order to receive treatment and support.  The practice of telepsychiatry - virtual therapy over a live video stream - could be an answer to supporting the mental health needs of remote or underserved areas.  [The Christian Science Monitor]

• For new events, webinars, jobs, and grants visit the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board.