Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/series/from-the-bureaus/page/18/)
Marbella Munoz was a foster child for most of her life. As is true for many foster children bounced through multiple placements, she was frequently forced to change schools.
Munoz’ story comes from a new report that examines and analyzes a controversial youth crime prevention strategy run by the Los Angeles County Probation Department, the nation’s largest juvenile probation system.
Michelle Guymon is a hero in the world of child sex trafficking prevention.
Seven years ago, she had no idea Los Angeles County had a child sex trafficking problem
Now Guymon is director of the Child Trafficking Unit for the Los Angeles County Probation Department and is part of the group that aims to make LA’s efforts to combat child sex trafficking a model for the nation.
Proposed legislation would move juvenile justice in California closer to rehabilitating youth rather than punishing them, juvenile advocates say.
The mother never wanted to talk in public about what happened to her son.
For 24 years — since her then-17-year-old son Ronald was pulled off a bus in Washington, D.C., charged and eventually convicted of murder — Donna Heyward always avoided recounting the pain of losing her oldest child to the criminal justice system.
The Los Angeles County Office of Education boasts that scores of young people who were at risk of dropping out of high school get their high school diplomas or their GED credentials while they’re in LA County’s juvenile probation camps each year. It’s a monumental and pivotal moment for students who often have fallen behind in school and so might not expect such an accomplishment.
Should youth incarcerated in California juvenile halls and camps be entitled to new underwear? Should family and friends be assured that their visits to youth in detention facilities be in person rather than through video screens? Should these youth be guaranteed more time outdoors for exercise and fresh air?
Karen Savage, a recent New York-based reporter for JJIE and Youth Today, has received The Sidney Hillman Foundation Award for Social Justice Reporting.
After missing a Saturday deadline in part due to disagreement over proposed raise the age legislation, New York legislators signed bills submitted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to approve a 2018 State Budget Extender and avoid a government shut-down.
Alicia Barraza started her testimony with statistics. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds who serve time in New York’s adult facilities are twice as likely to report being beaten by staff, she said matter-of-factly.
The 2017 department trial of Richard Haste highlights an ambiguous and secret process by which the NYPD disciplines officers. It is the last stop for many families of civilians killed by the NYPD, but the administrative trial process lacks the transparency and impartiality of the criminal and judicial processes it mimics.
“People would say that the trial room is a kangaroo court. It’s not a real court. I disagree,” said police union attorney Stuart London in a later interview inside his Wall St. office. “I think if you make it a real courtroom, it can be a real courtroom.”