Kids Crossing Border Risk Losing Legal Protections, Rights Groups Say
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The White House is facing pressure to expedite the return of unaccompanied youth crossing in the United States back to their home countries.
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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Juvenile Justice Reforms Prominent in New Bill by U.S. Senators Booker and Paul
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Two first-term senators from opposite sides of the aisle introduced legislation Tuesday banning the use of juvenile solitary confinement.
OP-ED: Restorative Justice Isn’t Fluff, It’s an Investment in the Future
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The big picture is that restorative justice practiced by trained mediators is not touch-feely fluff. It is a response to the known traits of adolescents and young adults.
OP-ED: Signs of Hope and Justice Two Years After Miller v. Alabama
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There is no justice in the fact that two years after Miller, people who should be eligible for relief are still serving JLWOP sentences.
After Waiting a Year for Assessment, Mentally Ill Teen Released to Group Home
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A year ago, Jaime Peoples was languishing at the Illinois Youth Center (IYC) juvenile detention facility in Kewanee, Ill., having spent a year awaiting a full mental health assessment, according to his mother, Celia.
OP-ED: Counties Can Improve Juvenile Justice System Outcomes
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We can’t wait for kids to walk through the doors of our jails and then offer them help — we need to prevent them from coming in the door altogether.
The Two Sides of Raise the Age in New York
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It was the tail-end of rush hour on a Thursday in March, and commuters were packed tightly onto a Brooklyn bus in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Not all of them got out alive.
Interview: Leaving Violence Behind
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Since getting out of prison Xavier McElrath-Bey has been helping Chicago youth leave their violent lives behind.