Funding Dilemma in Forsyth County

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Nonprofits continue to grow in Georgia while funding is waning, according to a report in Forsyth News. This year, Forsyth County contributed to 10 local agencies that work with the juvenile court. New nonprofits, such as Mentor Me North Georgia and the Children’s Center for Hope and Healing are struggling to provide services with limited resources. “The agencies themselves are saying that even in this tough economic time, we have got to figure out how to provide those services,” Chairwoman Nicole McCoy told Forsyth News. Some agencies are trying to vary their funding sources by using both grants and donations.

Federal Funding Hinders Juvenile Justice Reform

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The federal government expects the states to do more to prevent delinquency but is offering up less money to help with the problem. That’s a formula for tension, which became apparent this week as a 15-member federal committee heard state officials’ complaints about the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, according to Youth Today. The committee, which is charged with assessing juvenile justice reform, heard plenty at its second meeting about the OJJDP from Joe Vignati of the Georgia Governor’s Office for Children and Families, among others. Vignati and two others spoke about OJJDP compliance monitoring and funding issues. The three state officials agreed that OJJDP’s training and technical assistant is exemplary, but argued that the lack of funding is hindering efforts to support programs.

Twenty states now receive only a minimum allocation of $600,000 through the OJJDP. Funds for alternatives to imprisonment, such as emergency foster care and shelters, “have dried up,” said Nancy Gannon Hornberger of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice in Washington, D.C.

Among the concerns Vignati raised:

Data on juvenile justice and delinquency is inconsistent between the states.

Boy Scouts Clamp Down on Sex Abuse

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The Boy Scouts of America appear to be taking child molestation more seriously after settling a $20 million lawsuit, according to Youth Today. In the 1980s, former Assistant Scoutmaster Timur Dykes was convicted in Oregon of abusing Boy Scouts, including former Scout Kerry Lewis. Lewis filed suit against the BSA for failing to act on “the perversion files,” confidential files that red-flagged potential molesters in Scouting. Five other victims of Dykes have also filed lawsuits against the BSA. Lewis, the first to be awarded, received $1.4 million for negligence and $18.5 million in punitive damages in April.

September is National Youth Court Month

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Youth court, which provides an alternative for kids who are first time offenders, is being celebration nationally this month, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. In most youth courts, offenders are facing a misdemeanor or status offense for crimes like theft or vandalism. Youth court provides them with a network of community and juvenile justice experts to respond to their problems.

If your organization has planned activities, we’d love to hear about them. Email me at kedwar35@students.kennesaaw.edu

ACLU Challenges School Arrests

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School systems across the country will be watching as the American Civil Liberties Union confronts the New York City school district for allowing police to arrest kids for things like drawing on school desks. The ACLU is working on behalf of five kids who were arrested, claiming police used excessive force to get kids to follow school rules. In a memorandum of law, the ACLU sites cases like this:
Plaintiff L.W. was sixteen when School Safety Officers at his Queens school punched him repeatedly in the head, poked him in the eye, and handcuffed him—all because they suspected he had a cell phone, which he did not, and because he indicated that he did not want to be searched. Click here for the full memorandum.

Delinquent Kids: Focus of New Senate Hearing

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How judges handle delinquent kids could change under proposals for a new juvenile code in Georgia. SB292, Article 7 focuses on kids who’ve committed acts that would be considered crimes if they were adults. Read SB292 here

Read Article 7 of the Proposed Model Code

Julia Neighbors of JUSTGeorgia tells me, “This article will primarily effect defense attorneys, district attorneys and superior court judges.” Article 7 will allow attorneys to access more of a child’s information as well as give superior court judges other options aside from detention. Article 7 fundamentally works to separate “unruly” kids from “delinquent” kids.  Delinquent kids now have alternatives of their own, such as the option to request bail. The Senate Judiciary Committee takes up these changes on September 30th at 2pm in the Capitol, room 450.

New Online Resource for Drug Courts

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Juvenile drug court is a successful alternative for youth with alcohol and drug problems, according to the U.S. Office of Justice Programs (OJP). A child placed in the juvenile drug court docket meets weekly with a team of professionals to find the best ways to handle his or her problems.

The OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance has teamed up with the National Association of Drug Court Professionals to create the new online National Drug Court Resource Center. The Center provides a network of support and information to give understanding to those who are involved or interested in drug courts. At the Resource Center you’ll find training opportunities, research statistics and ways to get funding. You’ll soon be able to follow blogs and chat live with others who also care about this topic.

DeKalb DA Resigns to Work for Feds

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The DeKalb County District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming resigned Wednesday. President Obama has appointed her to the post of the regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. As District Attorney, Fleming managed 13,000 cases a year and oversaw 165 employees. She will now oversee eight states, including Georgia, and six tribal nations, according to the AJC. It’s up to Governor Purdue to appoint a replacement.

Young Sex Offenders: Public or Private Knowledge?

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The national debate about kids who are convicted of sex offenses is under the microscope in St. Louis. Is it the public’s right to know who these kids are and does it justify the impact on a young person’s life for years to come? As a juvenile, Michael Church was convicted of a sex crime. Now at age 22, Church is in jail again, accused of trying to lure two girls to his home, according to KMOV-TV.

I Got Arrested! Now What?

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Here’s a new way to teach kids about the juvenile court system from the Center for Urban Pedagogy: It’s a comic strip called I Got Arrested! Now What? This is a fold out poster/comic that was developed for kids in New York. The comic follows one teen through his experience in the system and was developed by The Center for Urban Pedagogy in collaboration with the Center for Court Innovation and the Youth Justice Board. The comic was drawn by graphic novelist Danica Novgorodoff and can be downloaded as a PDF or purchased through PayPal.