Judicial Insight

By |

When a writer comes along who touches your conscience, you want to tell people.  So we are pleased to tell you that Judge Steven Teske of Clayton County Juvenile Court is now writing for the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange at JJIE.org.  He is currently sharing stories from his childhood and his life that are filled with surprise and insight. His stories are sometimes funny, often poignant, and always make you think. In “The Good Shepherd,” we hear about the dare that almost got him arrested, and the middle school principal who saved his bacon. In “Making Adults Mad –When Did That Become a Crime?” he reveals what happened when he got his first BB gun for Christmas. In “The Silent Majority” he talks about the unsung heroes who help “crossover” kids.

Chicken Sandwiches and Children

By |

When Truett Cathy was honored by the Council of Juvenile Court Judges of Georgia, he told reporter Chandra Thomas what inspires him to work with children.  The interview brings back memories of chicken sandwiches and children for Pete Colbenson, our community organizer at JJIE.org.  Pete first met the founder of Chick-fil-A more than 30 years ago, when Cathy responded to a call for help. Pete was the director of the Clayton County Regional Youth Development Center in Jonesboro in 1987.  At the time, it was one of the oldest and most decrepit facilities in the state.  One morning he got to work and found out both kitchen stoves were broken down.  He had to find a way to feed the children– about 60 hungry kids needed lunch.  So he called The Chick-fil-A Dwarf House in Jonesboro and found a sympathetic ear. What happened next was a surprise Pete will never forget:

“An hour later an older gentleman in a beat up pickup truck arrived at the back gate. I went to open the gate and introduce myself.  I was stunned to learn it was Truett Cathy.

Juveniles Arrested for Vandalizing Cobb School and Setting Fire

By |

Two children were arrested Monday for setting fire to a trailer at Lost Mountain Middle School in Kennesaw.  They are also accused of breaking 14 windows on the sixth-grade wing of the school, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  Both kids face felony charges of arson and criminal damage.

Fight Breaks Out in Juvenile Court

By |

If anyone needs proof that emotions run high in juvenile court, take a look at the video (below) from Augusta, released by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department. A fight erupted inside the courtroom on Wednesday afternoon, when an officer tried to put handcuffs on a teenage boy.  The teen resisted and tried to leave. The boy’s grandmother, identified as Dora Ward, rushed up and grabbed the officer around the neck.  According to an account in the August Chronicle, the officer was getting choked.  Another officer tackled the woman and pushed her to the floor. Ward and her grandson were both arrested for Obstruction of an Officer.  What made this situation particularly tense: Ward is the mother of Justin Elmore, who was shot and killed by two Richmond County deputies in 2008, after he tried to drive away from a traffic stop.  
Watch the incident on surveillance video, released Friday.

New Barton Center Director Appointed

By |

 
 

Barton Child Law and Policy Center Newsletter
 

Dear Child Advocates, this update contains:

New Barton Center Director Appointed

Applicants Sought for 2011-2012 Robin Nash Fellowship

Placements Sought for 2011 Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program

Georgia Child Welfare Legal Academy, December 9, 2010

Student Perspective: Barton's Runaway Youth Project

 

 
  
 As many of you know, the founding Director of the Barton Child Law and Policy Center, Karen Worthington, left this fall to move closer to family and pursue an independent consulting practice.  We are grateful for Karen's many wonderful contributions over the years, and she is dearly missed.  Replacing Karen has been a difficult task, because her vision, energy, and commitment have gotten the Center to where we are today. 
After an extensive search, we are thrilled to announce that we have found an extraordinary person to lead the Barton Center through the next phase of our work.  Emory Law School has appointed Melissa Dorris Carter to serve as the next Barton Center Director.  Melissa has been closely associated with the Barton Center for years.  Her legal career as a child advocate started first with an internship through the Center's Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, and then with two years as the Barton Post-Graduate Fellow in Law.  Since then, Melissa has had a distinguished career, including work in leadership positions in the federally funded Court Improvement Projects of both Georgia and Illinois, and in private practice as an adoption attorney.  She served for three years as Deputy Director of Georgia's Office of the Child Advocate before being appointed by Governor Perdue as the Director of that office in February of this year.  In addition to her work experience, Melissa brings to the Barton Center her credentials as a published scholar on child welfare policy; the relationships she has built working as a pro bono attorney, as a federal child welfare reviewer, and as an active member and former chair of the State Bar's Juvenile Law Committee.  Melissa will joining the Barton Center effective December 1, 2010.   
New Barton Center Director Appointed
 

 

Barton Center Appoints Melissa Carter as New Director

By |

Melissa D. Carter is the new director of The Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University, starting December 1.  She replaces Karen Worthington, the founding director, who recently left the Barton Center after ten years. Carter has a rich history as a child advocate.  She is currently Director of Georgia’s Office of the Child Advocate, and served as Deputy Director of the agency until last February, when Governor Perdue tapped her for the top post. Carter has worked as a private practice adoption lawyer, and chaired the State Bar’s Juvenile Law Committee.  While in law school, she worked as a student case manager with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and as a legislative assistant for the Children’s Rights Council in Washington, D.C.  Carter knows the work of the Barton Center well, since she served as a Post-Graduate Fellow in Law at the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic. Read more about Melissa Carter in this news release.

Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Celebrates Red Ribbon Week with Youth Council Summit and PSA Contest

By |

 
 
Alisa Bennett-Hart
PR Specialist
Cobb Alcohol Taskforce
pr@cobbat.org
770-861-5758 mobile
678-819-0877 fax
www.cobbat.org
 
COBB ALCOHOL TASKFORCE CELEBRATES RED RIBBON WEEK WITH YOUTH COUNCIL SUMMIT AND PSA CONTEST
October 22, 2010, Marietta, GA – Cobb Alcohol Taskforce recognizes Red Ribbon Week, October 23 -31, 2010, the Nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention program reaching millions of Americans during the last week of October every year. Scheduled taskforce activities are as follows:

Cobb Alcohol Taskforce will hold a Youth Council Summit at The Walker School on October 23, 2010. The event will be a day full of fun with interactive activities led by youth delegates of the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Youth Council – Take It Back chapter. Youth facilitated workshops will focus on giving youth a voice that will shake up adult attitudes and beliefs about underage and youth binge drinking. Cobb County middle and high school aged youth who represent an existing school or community youth group will be in attendance.  The Youth Council will develop youth-led projects to reduce underage and youth binge drinking throughout the year and will come back together in the Spring of 2011.

Mentoring Young People who are Getting Out of Detention or Prison

By |

A webinar from the Council of State Governments will focus on recruiting family members, teachers and other people to mentor youth who are getting back into the community after spending time in detention or prison.  The online event is free, and takes place Monday, November 1, at 3:30pm Eastern.  Speakers include:

David Altschuler, Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies
Shay Bilchik, Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, Georgetown University
Roger Jarjoura, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Founder, Aftercare for the Incarcerated through Mentoring
Dennis Talbert, Michigan Neighborhood Partnership

Learn more and register here.

Gwinnett Schools Win $1 Million Prize

By |

The Broad Prize for Urban Education goes to the Gwinnett County public school system this year. It’s the largest education prize in the country, honoring large urban school districts with top performing students that also narrow the achievement gap for poor and minority students.  The $1 million in prize money will go directly to high school seniors for college scholarships. Gwinnett Schools won this award for good reason.  More than half its students are minorities and half are eligible for the subsidized lunch program. The school system is overcoming the odds for kids in several ways:

Outperforms other schools in Georgia with a similar student profile in reading and math
Cuts  the gaps in reading and math scores between African-American and white students at all grade levels
Gets more minority teens to take the SAT, ACT and Advanced Placement exams

The school district is the largest in Georgia with close to 161,000 students this year, according to the school system website.

Florida’s Juvenile Crime Problem a Mirror for the Nation

By |

There’s a steady increase in the number of kids sent to adult court for violent crimes in Central Florida, where 600 teens were tried as adults last year. The Orlando Sentinel reports on the dilemma facing prosecutors and judges, who want violent offenders locked up in prison.  While child advocates argue that exposing children to prison life is almost a guarantee they will reoffend. A criminal justice professor points out a problem that may sound familiar:
“The increase reflects a system-wide conundrum when dealing with violent repeat young offenders: The juvenile-justice system — oriented toward rehabilitating children — offers few alternatives for punishing young offenders who pose serious threats to the community”