Coalition for Juvenile Justice Conference Featured Listenbee, Others
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With more than 300 participants, representing 44 states and territories, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) held its annual conference here last week.
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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Texas prisons and jails are recruiting more teenagers to shore up guard shortage
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School violence: Mapping incidents in Georgia
Juvenile Justice Week in Review: From Detainment to Violent Death
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Top headlines from last week discuss the statistics behind violent deaths of detainees, child sex trafficking in Georgia, and the documentary "Kids-for-Cash"
OP-ED: Institutional Abuse Holds Back Positive Change in Children
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“The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.”
OP-ED: ‘Kids-for-Cash’ Documentary a Reminder of Continuing Problems in Juvenile Justice Systems
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“Kids for Cash” is an eye-opening and heart-wrenching portrayal of juvenile “justice” through the eyes of a child.
Detained Youths More Likely to Die Violent Deaths as Adults
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Those arrested and detained as youths were much more likely to die violent deaths as adults than those who were not, says a new study.
The study, published in the June 16 issue of the journal “Pediatrics,” found that females who had been arrested and detained as youths died violent deaths as adults at nearly five times the rate of the general population, while males arrested and detained as youths died violent deaths at three times the rate of the general population.
Child Sex Trafficking Taking a Toll Across Georgia, Officials Say
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Though Georgia has made strides in attacking sex trafficking violations across the state, there is still plenty of work to do, beginning with educating the public on the issue.
OP-ED: The Truth About Delinquency Prevention
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Living in poverty is devastating for children in many ways, especially the impact of poverty on their education.
Violence, Poverty Pushing Guatemalan Children To US
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A recent influx of Central American children migrating to the United States is causing a border crisis.
The children are fleeing the violent life in Guatemala, either alone or sometimes with child smugglers who promise assistance only to abandon them. As many as 90,000 children came this year alone.
Guatemala, one of the poorest countries in Central America, is trying to get back on its feet after a 36-year “civil war” where 200,000 people were killed, mostly unarmed, indigenous people.