Reactions of Incarcerated Youth to Trump’s Election
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I felt like the world was going to end. He disrespected my religion for one, so I don’t like him or what he believes in. But I got to work with him so it is what it is.
An 11-year-old denied making a threat and was allowed to return to school. Tennessee police arrested him anyway.
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In late September, Torri was driving down the highway with her 11-year-old son Junior in the back seat when her phone started ringing.
It was the Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputy who worked at Junior’s middle school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Deputy Arthur Richardson asked Torri where she was. She told him she was on the way to a family birthday dinner at LongHorn Steakhouse.
“He said, ‘Is Junior with you?’” Torri recalled.
Earlier that day, Junior had been accused by other students of making a threat against the school. When Torri had come to pick him up, she’d spoken with Richardson and with administrators, who’d told her he was allowed to return to class the next day. The principal had said she would carry out an investigation then. ProPublica and WPLN are using a nickname for Junior and not including Torri’s last name at the family’s request, to prevent him from being identifiable.
When Richardson called her in the car, Torri immediately felt uneasy. He didn’t say much before hanging up, and she thought about turning around to go home. But she kept driving. When they walked into the restaurant, Torri watched as Junior happily greeted his family.
Soon her phone rang again. It was the deputy. He said he was outside in the strip mall’s parking lot and needed to talk to Junior. Torri called Junior’s stepdad, Kevin Boyer, for extra support, putting him on speaker as she went outside to talk to Richardson. She left Junior with the family, wanting to protect her son for as long as she could ...
A campus shooting spurred her political awakening. Her whole family followed.
TUCSON, Arizona — Adriana Grijalva was getting ready to head to class at the University of Arizona in the fall of 2022 when she got a text message from her cousin telling her to stay put. The cousin, who works in maintenance at the university, had watched law enforcement descend on campus and reached out to make sure she was safe. A former student had just shot a professor 11 times, killing him.
Justice organization announces new youth restorative justice partners
Equal Justice USA (EJUSA) announced October 8 that it will partner with four new communities to build new restorative youth justice diversion programs. Restorative justice includes an accountability process that identifies root causes of youth criminal actions, while providing an opportunity for healing both for the person harmed and the person who has caused harm.
A Louisiana law meant to fight teen violence is sweeping 17-year-olds arrested for lesser crimes into adult court
Louisiana is the only state to pass and then reverse Raise the Age legislation. Louisiana’s criminal justice system now treats all 17-year-olds as adults. Is reversing Raise the Age making a difference in the number of violent crimes by 18-year-olds?
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Private Lockups May Prosper Under Trump Due to Predictions of More Deportations
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The private prison industry may end up being one of the winners under the incoming Trump administration, though it’s not clear how or when the new administration will act.
FFT Alternatives for Adolescent Offenders Should Be Institutionalized Within System
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New York City’s jails have received much attention for their conditions and for their culture of violence. But stories like Mike’s are rarely told.
Barry Krisberg on Where Juvenile Justice Goes From Here Under a Trump Administration
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Barry Krisberg has been advocating for progressive reform in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems since the late 1960s. He has seen the pendulum swing back and forth.
What does he say now?
“I think we’re moving into a nightmarish period in terms of the federal role in criminal justice.”
Dear Mr. President,
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Dear Mr. President,
You having a chance to become the first African-American president of the United States has set a great example for many troubled, young African-American men like myself.
Moving Police Officers From Enforcers to Protectors
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“I hate the police” and other comments, profanity-filled, are shouted to Houston Police officers as they enter a classroom filled with teenagers.
Report: Communities Must Switch to Local Care, Not Prisons, for Young Offenders
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Many policymakers and advocates know they want to close youth prisons, where they say young offenders are often isolated, unsafe and go without the services they need to thrive when they return to their communities.
Grim Anniversary of Gun Violence Against Children in Sandy Hook, New York City
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On a cold, rainy early spring night in 2014, I attended the private meeting of a tragic club nobody wants to join. It was a gathering of parents whose children had been killed as the result of gun violence.