Ruling Could Vacate Sentence of Man Who Carried Out School Shooting Rampage in 1998

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Citing last year’s Miller v. Alabama Supreme Court ruling, an attorney representing Kipland “Kip” Kinkel -- who in 1998, murdered his parents and embarked upon a shooting spree at Thurston High School in Springfield, Ore. -- has filed a petition asking a state judge to void Kinkel’s current sentence. "He pleaded guilty and didn't try to evade responsibility for what he had done and asked for a lawful sentence," The Oregonian quotes Andy Simrin, attorney for the now 30-year-old Kinkel. Due to last year’s landmark ruling, he is requesting that his client’s current sentence be vacated and a new sentence hearing be ordered. On May 20, 1998 -- a day after killing his parents -- then 15-year-old Kinkel went on a shooting rampage at his high school.

Barbed wire around juvenile detention center

Juvenile Justice and Youth Advocates See Impacts from Sequester, Brace for More

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In the lead-up to federal budget sequestration, advocates warned of dire consequences for juvenile justice and services to children and youth. Now, with sequestration in effect for nearly two months, impacts are materializing across the country, although some programs have been at least partially spared. Yet in many cases, youth-serving organizations still do not know how they will be impacted, only that there will be impacts.
Juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs in many states have yet to see cuts due to sequestration, but the impacts may be felt when 2013 funds are distributed in the fall, said Meg Williams, juvenile justice specialist for the State of Colorado. Although the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has not released official numbers, many state programs expect their OJJDP funding to be reduced by 7 or 8 percent and are trying to plan accordingly, she added.

Georgia Gov. Deal Signs Law Establishing New Juvenile Justice Reform Commission

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Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed House Bill 349 into law Thursday, granting judges more latitude to avoid meting out mandatory minimum sentences, particularly regarding the state’s drug-related cases. “Public safety will be improved by giving prosecutors leverage in certain cases and by ensuring that our prison resources are reserved for the kingpins while the mules are given a chance at reform,” Deal told the Associated Press. Under the bill, drug court defendants, alongside those enrolled in mental health programs, will be eligible for restricted driving permits, pending they meet specific requirements as part of their respective programs. Additionally, defendants in such programs, who obtained HOPE GED vouchers while in jail, are now allowed to use their earned credits for a two-year period following their release. The signing of the bill also officially establishes the Georgia Criminal Justice Reform Commission (GCJRC), charged with reviewing both the state’s criminal and juvenile justice systems. Under the new council, Deal will appoint 15 members, of which 10 will be state officials. With four-year terms, members of the GCJRC will conduct justice system reviews a minimum of every two years.

Nebraska Juvenile Justice Reform Amendments Pass Committee Vote

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The Nebraska Legislature has pushed forward a proposed piece of juvenile justice reform legislation, following a judiciary committee re-write, the Omaha World-Herald reports. Legislators approved amendments Tuesday to Legislative Bill 561. If passed, the proposal would reroute the state’s estimated 3,500 juvenile offenders away from Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services and place them under the authority of the state Office of Probation Administration instead. Although the bill’s original language called for the closing of two facilities in the cities of Kearney and Geneva, the recent rewrite would keep the two centers open, albeit, with stricter standards in place. Further, the proposed legislation would establish new re-entry processes for young people leaving the two facilities, and encourage counties to implement diversion programs for juvenile offenders.

John Lash

OP-ED: The Common Sense Approach to Juvenile Justice

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The restorative justice program here in Athens, Ga., after almost two years of relationship and capacity building, is finally getting off the ground. Georgia Conflict Center has gotten some referrals from the juvenile court and we have started reaching out to parents whose kids have been charged with crimes, and to victims and parents of victims.
I called a woman recently who had filed a criminal complaint after her daughter was threatened by a fellow student. First she went to the school, explained the situation to the administration, and asked to be put in touch with the other kid’s mom. She wanted to settle the problem between the parents of the kids. The school refused, stating liability concerns, and instead put her in contact with the school resource officer.