States Look to Raise the Age as Legislative Sessions Wrap Up
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The number of states that automatically send teenagers younger than 18 to criminal court continues to dwindle as states wrap up their legislative sessions.
We Need Better Legal Protection for Young People in the Justice System
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Think back to yourself at 14 or 15 years old. You’ve just started high school. But you’re not at school now — you’ve been brought downtown for questioning at the police station.
Troubled No More, Youths Bring Stories of Their Resilience to Probation Professionals
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Twenty-two years seems like an awfully short time to already be talking about redemption. But the young man sitting on the velvet couch in the splendor of the Omni Parker House Hotel’s mezzanine is living proof that for someone who has survived the juvenile justice system in America, there is a fine line between ending your life and turning it around.
Juvenile Justice Reformers Driven by Memories of Mistakes in Their Less-informed Past
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Adolphus Graves, the chief probation officer of Fulton County Juvenile Court in Atlanta, was driven to transform his juvenile justice system by the mistakes he made as a young probation officer.
“I was a little wayward and misguided as a probation officer,” he said. “Knowing my times as a probation officer, and how many things I did horribly, or how many children that I irresponsibly, or sometimes just ignorantly, subjected to detention because I had no other tools. ... The recurring theme consistently has been the lack of knowledge, of understanding what’s going on, the depth of what’s going on in a child’s life.”
Bronx Youth Detail Problems, Solutions to Juvenile Arrests in Neighborhood Report
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“We want to know what does a world look like where 10-year-olds aren’t being arrested,” said the woman who trained Bronx young people to survey their peers and write a report about how juveniles are treated when they're arrested.
Alternatives for Justice-Involved Youth with Mental Health Needs Finally Start to Appear
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Our probation officers are often underequipped to prevent youth from becoming funneled deeper into the system, especially youth with untreated or undiagnosed mental health needs.
The Importance of Treating for Trauma in Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth
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Research over the past several decades has established that youth exposure to violence is a widespread and significant problem. This is particularly true for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, as research has shown that up to 90 percent of these youth have histories of violence exposure, with many reporting multiple serious incidents.
Advocates Cheer Probe of Racial Bias in Mississippi School Discipline
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A federal investigation will examine whether discriminatory school disciplinary policies are disproportionately affecting black students in DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Girls in Trouble: Providing the Right Response
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One of the starkest statistics in the lives of girls today is that 73 percent of girls in the juvenile justice system have been physically or sexually abused, according to U.S. Bureau of Justice figures.
It Is Possible to Heal Our Caged Children
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They’re labeled thugs, treated like throwaways and classified by some as “superpredators”: teenage boys and girls who seek sanctuary in gangs, commit violent crimes and end up in the criminal justice system. Not only are they physically locked up, but these children are caged in emotional turmoil.