Coronavirus Produces School Closures, Uncertain Futures, Extra Stress for Alabama Teens

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Just like teenagers across Alabama and the nation, Frazier is trying to finish a school year without the grounding of his usual routine — in the middle of a global public health crisis. While it’s rare for young people to have life-threatening reactions to coronavirus, that doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling through the disruptions in daily life. Being away from the routine and safety of school, extracurriculars, work and friends can be dangerous for young people’s mental and physical well-being.

Alabama: Man with white beard, mustache, wearing glasses, white shirt holds up plaque.

How to Help Struggling Kids During Coronavirus

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This time of year usually marks year-end celebrations and summer preparations for youth. But with regular traditions like prom and graduation on hold, and with many jobs in limbo, teenagers in Alabama aren’t sure what to expect for the coming months.

COVID-19: Boy on skateboard on basketball court

Isolated in a Harlem Youth Shelter: One Youth’s Tale of COVID-19

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First, it was just a headache. A migraine burrowing into his forehead, one that heated and cooled his body, made the room spin a little. But he didn’t usually have migraines. The dizziness and the onset of nausea felt wrong. Like they could be something more. On the outer edges of New York City, as the sound of sirens had started to become more frequent, a troubling thought came to his mind.

Connecticut Advocates Worried About Youth in Adult System ‘Vulnerable’ to COVID-19

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The public won’t know their names, their ages nor why they were behind bars. They won’t hear their interaction with the person whose job is to check them for symptoms weekly. Nor will they hear the thoughts running through their minds as they sit in their cell, isolated from the unprecedented chaos outside.

collaborate: Sad teenager girl in medical mask behind bars.

Pandemic Is Chance For Leaders to Collaborate on Transforming Youth Justice

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From Louisiana to New York, juvenile detention centers are reporting more staff and children testing positive for COVID-19. Incarcerated youth are extremely vulnerable to infection. We know these numbers will only continue to get worse unless youth justice systems act immediately. Releasing youth from locked facilities where social distancing is impossible or avoiding sending them there in the first place is critical. This is why even those of us who have experience running such facilities are calling for action.

solitary: Man in car marked NJJJC looks out the open front left window.

COVID-19 Isolation for Youths Raises Concerns in New Jersey

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On July 11, 2019, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy used the power of his pen to seize a unique political opportunity: putting his signature on one of the most ground-breaking laws in the country limiting the use of solitary confinement for juveniles.

doctors: A teenager with a ponytail on his head, wearing a medical mask, sits and uses a mobile phone. Horizontal bars in the background.

Doctors Call for Releasing Youth from Secure Custody During COVID-19 Crisis

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Across the world, we are all racing to save the most vulnerable in our societies from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, however, we are leaving some of our children trapped with nowhere to turn, nowhere to run.