Sexual Abuse in Juvenile Facilities

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Some alarming numbers about children who are sexually abused while in custody are contained in a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on May 10, 2010 from seven national advocacy groups.  The Children’s Defense Fund,  Campaign for Youth Justice,  Youth Law Center  and other groups created a report called Preventing the Sexual Abuse of Youth in Correctional Settings. Some of their recommendations:

Training in adolescent development for people who work or volunteer in youth facilities. More direct supervision by trained adults instead of video surveillance. Assessment standards and safety plans to keep vulnerable children safe. Limiting harsh responses to consensual sex between residents, where it may not be abusive

The report contains current federal laws, plus information about the new Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act currently under review in Congress.  It also features research, questionnaires, and resolutions from the PTA, the American Bar Association, the NAACP and other organizations concerned about the risks of placing juveniles under 18 in adult prisons. See more numbers here.

Screening Teens in Custody for Mental Illness May Improve Outcomes

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A four-year study of the juvenile justice system in California unveils alarming mental health problems:

An estimated 50% of teens arrested in California have a suspected mental illness. 75% have a substance abuse problem

The Healthy Returns Initiative is searching for ways to improve treatment options and outcomes for young offenders.  The study reports on conditions in California’s Juvenile Justice System which sound a lot like conditions in Georgia:  State and local budget cuts, insufficient staff to handle kids with mental health problems, shortage of placement options for children with severe mental illness and substance abuse. The Initiative worked with 5 counties, both urban and rural, to identify teens with problems. They found the key is routine, standardized mental health screening at the earliest point of contact with the system.  They conclude ignoring mental health issues leads to longer and more costly stays in detention. Read more in the Sacramento Bee

Research makes case for electronic monitoring of felony offenders

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Electronic monitoring is being used for medium and high-risk felony offenders of all ages across the country.  According to a recent study from the Florida State University College of Criminology, electronic monitoring is effective for adults and juveniles, especially when used with GPS technology.  Researchers found 1 in 3 offenders placed under electronic monitoring would have gone to prison if the surveillance option had not been available to the courts.  They say it costs six times more to incarcerate an offender in state prison than to place them on electronic monitoring.  The research concludes that electronic surveillance is a cost effective tool, though not a perfect one.

Do High School Students with ADHD Mellow Out More Often With Marijuana?

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Adolescents with ADHD are more likely to use marijuana, according to the Royal Statistical Society in London. Rising high school freshmen and sophomores with ADHD who smoke weed infrequently may begin to increase their dependence on it. The report is called, Latent Transition Models with Latent Class Predictors: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Subtypes and High School Marijuana Use.

Drugs – A Common Bond For Girls and Their Parents

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A new study shows teen girls may use drugs in an attempt to form a stronger bond with their parents, particularly their fathers. Because interpersonal relationships are more important for girls it is harder for them to understand when relationships with parents deteriorate due to lack of emotional involvement. As a result the girl may feel abandoned and neglected and try to rebuild the relationship by drug usage. The report from the National Council on Family Relations is called Drug Use with Parents as a Relational Strategy for Incarcerated Female Adolescents.

How Bad is Teen Crime Really?

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New research reveals crime involving adolescent offenders is declining. Trends show a dramatic decrease in teens committing the worst violent crimes over the last 10-15 years. And despite media reports focused on younger teens, the average age of the juvenile delinquent has steadily increased over the past three decades. Violent offenses committed by teens are more likely to be misdemeanors rather than felonies, according to a study done by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice: Teenage Criminals Getting Younger and Younger? Exposing Another Urban Legend.

Girls in Detention: HPV Vaccinations

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The FDA recommends that all teenaged girls get vaccinated against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a common STD that can lead to cervical cancer.  Researchers at Brown University say the juvenile justice setting provides a unique opportunity to administer the HPV vaccine to a high-risk, medically underserved population. They surveyed youth detention facilities in all 50 states.  They found 39 state offer the HPV vaccine to teen girls in juvenile justice facilities.  But in Georgia facilities the practice is inconsistent. ScienceDirect summarizes this study to be published in the Journal of Adolescent Health

Criminologist Warns Police to Prioritize Delinquents

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Police departments respond to juvenile delinquency in many different ways, but Criminologist James F. Hodgson says they are often reactive, and a low priority.  The Professor of Criminal Justice at Virginia State University warns the number of teenagers in the U.S. could jump by 21% in the next 30 years, and they will need more attention.  He assesses current juvenile policing policies across the country.  And he argues for more pro-active and re-active programs, urging police departments to prioritize innovative programs for children. Read more about his study here.

Daycare May Prevent Delinquency

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As the nation faces policy challenges over juvenile delinquency and subsequent crime, one all-but-forgotten option remains as promising as ever despite its virtual absence in recent national discussions and debates: a comprehensive daycare and after-school care policy. New research from David R. Katner at Tulane University School of Law shows early intervention programs help reduce risk factors that contribute to delinquent behavior and later adult offending, while after-school programs create activities for juveniles during the time period when many delinquent acts occur. Read the full study here