Financial Aid for Lawyers

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Prosecutors and public defenders who are struggling to pay back their law school loans can get financial help from a federal grant.  The John R. Justice program helps local courts attract and retain lawyers. The state is getting $278,124, and will divide the money evenly, giving $4,076 to each of 29 prosecutors and 29 defenders who agree to serve for three years.  The program is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which has more information about the application process. Public defenders can also contact Holly LaBerge at the Georgia Public Defenders Standards Council :  404-232-8954 or hlaberge@gpdsc.org.

Child Sex Crimes: New Arrests, More Money

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation in Decatur is getting a fresh infusion of money from the Justice Department to fight child prostitution and other forms of sex exploitation.  A 300- thousand dollar grant will go towards reaching children in trouble and arresting adults who exploit them, according to the Office of Justice Programs.

To emphasize the work that’s being done in the Atlanta area, federal prosecutors released new information about three men who were sentenced and four others arrested for child sex crimes, including these cases:

Former Baptist Minister Gregory Hunter, who got 18 years in prison for producing a pornographic webcast of a 9 year old girl. Former doctor Adam Lebowitz, convicted of child porn and trying to entice a child to have sex
Michael Young and James Lampru,arrested at hotels where they arranged to have sex with a 12-year-old girl

Earlier this week, a 280 page report from Attorney General Eric Holder detailed a national strategy to fight child sex exploitation. The GBI has received other grants to fight Atlanta’s child prostitution and pornography problems.  In 2009, the GBI got $1,438,937.00in Recovery Act funds for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  During the first half of last year, the ICAC made 96 arrests and helped local law enforcement with 60 cases. Read more:

Project Safe Childhood

Internet Crimes against Children Task Force

News Release from Department of Justice

Children’s Programs Need Data to Survive

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Children’s programs funded by the federal government may be cut if evidence based data does not prove they are successful.  Youth Today looks at the dilemma facing well established programs such as Outward Bound and Teach for America because of new funding rules.  Just because a program has a positive public image does not mean it will get money in the 2011 fiscal year budget.  Juvenile justice programs that provide alternatives to prison could be at risk without evidence based data. Non-profit agencies that depend on federal funding are now scrambling for congressional support and some are arguing that evidence based data may not be the most accurate way to evaluate their work.

Child mentoring grant

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This from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service:
HHS Announces Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS') Administration for Children and Families is accepting applications for its Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program. The program supports the creation and maintenance of one-on-one mentoring relationships between children of incarcerated parents and caring, supportive adults, through a network of public and private community entities, in areas with substantial numbers of children of incarcerated parents. The application deadline is July 30, 2010. See grant RFP here.

Grant targets status offenders

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The Coalition for Juvenile Justice just got a $95,000 grant to guide states on how to keep status offenders out of detention.   The Coalition is on a new list of groups getting grants this year from The Public Welfare Foundation in Washington, DC.  The Foundation is giving $2.6 million to organizations in the juvenile justice field this year. The Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta got a $300,000 grant to fund litigation aimed at reducing the rate of incarceration in Georgia and Alabama.  The organization provides lawyers for people facing the death penalty and challenges human rights violations in prisons and jails. For the entire list of grants, click here.

Call for Presenters: CJJ Conference

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This call for presenters from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) for this national conference:
Fundamental Fairness: Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice

The Coalition, a national association of state juvenile justice advisory groups, has issued a call for presentations. The deadline for prospective presenters to respond is July 22, 2010. Here is more:

On October 23-25, 2010, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) will host a national conference on Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) at the Hyatt Regency on the Hudson in Jersey City, New Jersey, directly across from New York City. CJJ is pleased to host this national conference with two state partners, the New Jersey Association of County Youth Services Commissions and the New Jersey Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee (the New Jersey SAG). The conference will be preceded by a one day training on October 22, offered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), State Relations and Assistance Division (SRAD).