OP-ED: Everyday Assaults of Young Offenders in Adult Prisons
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Teenagers in adult prison live with an endless series of violations on a daily basis, violations that I could only think to describe as “everyday rapes.”
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
Across the Country, Neighborhoods Gather, Celebrate National Night Out
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In theory, National Night Out sounds a little strange -- encourage thousands of residents, in cities nationwide to throw block parties and barbecues that will be attended by city law enforcement. In practice, National Night Out is a city-sanctioned, nationwide, one-night event to encourage residents to get to know their neighbors and reclaim their streets, all in an effort to deter crime. In urban hubs across the country, this message resonates particularly strongly, where some communities have historically had complex and sometimes strained relationships with the police.
OP-ED: Are We Still In Abilene?
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The Abilene Paradox and "groupthink" -- decisions reached in a group based on social conformity that can lead to ineffective programs and practices in juvenile justice.
I Started Coming In When I Was 11
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[Photos] Today on Bokeh: "The state took me away from my Mom when I was 10. She was smoking heavily. I was smoking with my Mom when I was 5 ... When she had me she was 15— my age probably. She was 14 when she got pregnant with me."
The Dreary State of Juvenile Mental Health Care, Inside and Outside the Justice System
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The de-emphasis of mental health funding is not an aberration across the United States. From 2009 until 2011, 31 states enacted major mental health budget cuts.
OP-ED: Time to Have a Conversation About Race
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Can we have an open, honest discussion about race? I’m not making a request to have such a conversation, what I am wondering is if it is possible.
In Harlem, the Peaceful Ruckus of a Basketball Tournament to Remember Trayvon Martin and Sean Bell
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The Trayvon Martin Invitational became a symbol of solidarity for a community battered by the killings of two unarmed, young black men.
Lawmakers Call to Arm Prison Rape Victims with Legal Aid
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Without legal representation, young people “have no one to turn to whom they trust.”