Legal Intershup: Statue of Lady Justice bronze statue holding Scales of justice and blue sky

OJJDP introduces law student volunteer internship program

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention last month introduced a volunteer internship program specifically designed for law students interested in pursuing careers in the youth justice and child welfare fields. The program will accept applications for semester-long positions starting in spring and summer 2024. During their internships, participants will engage in tasks such as legal research and analysis, and gain insights into federal, state, local and Tribal work encompassing prevention, intervention, and system involvement. Students may work remotely.

Homeless: Illustration of adult courching between 2 people sitting in chairs facng the femail sitting with head in hands

Youth leaving foster care, juvenile and other systems are aim of Washington housing effort

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Implemented in June, HB 1905 establishes a five-year budget of over $5 million to reduce homelessness among those aforementioned groups. Washington’s Office of Homeless Youth will be responsible for much of that budget, administering $1.6 million in flexible funding that lets people who are allotted those dollars determine how to spend them on transportation, telephone or other everyday expenses.

The word "criminal" is engraved on a building.

Court watchers urge change in Florida, which is No. 1 in prosecuting youth as adults

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Since 2007, 18 states have raised to 18 the age at which a person can be criminally charged as an adult, according to a 2021 report from The Sentencing Project. In a previous report, that organization concluded that 250,000 youth nationwide were being charged as adults annually in 2000. By 2019, that number was 53,000, an 80% drop.

gun violence killing teens, children: young mother holding picture of dead son

Gun violence claiming more lives of American teens, children

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Gun violence is killing an increasing number of American children, from toddlers caught in crossfires to teenagers gunned down in turf wars, drug squabbles or for posting the wrong thing on social media. Experts say idleness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shares the blame with easy access to guns and disputes that too often end with gunfire.

youth justice disabled people legal guardianship: illustration of an antique 2-sided scale with colorful pastel cloud background

Opinion: Vulnerable youth need justice, and legal aid needs community

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Everyone deserves access to justice. Eight years ago, I took a chance that the community would show up to support legal services – and justice – for vulnerable kids and young adults. 

I’ll never forget the first client who walked through our doors or any of the clients I’ve represented. As I step down from leading Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS) and turn the reins over to a brilliant successor, I can’t help but reflect on all that I’ve learned, felt, and hoped during my time running a legal aid center. At ALWAYS, we serve human trafficking survivors and children and young adults affected by homelessness, abuse, and the foster care system. With the exception of trafficking survivors, everyone we serve is 24 years old or younger.

SC juvenile prison: Several workers in black pants and blue uniform shirts hold hand-printed signs and stand in protest of poor working conditions

South Carolina Juvenile Prison Workers Walk Out In Protest

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — About two dozen correctional officers and teachers at South Carolina's beleaguered juvenile justice agency joined an impromptu walkout Friday, protesting what they describe as low staffing, poor pay and mismanagement. The walkout from the agency's Broad River Road complex in Columbia follows weeks of legislative scrutiny into the agency after an  audit released in April found an uptick in violence, a failure to maintain adequate security staffing and many other deep-rooted problems.

Immigrant children left at border: Woman with long, dark hair in red top sits at table crying with hands folded on table.

Watchdog: US Forced Deported Parents to Leave Kids Behind

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A government watchdog says the Trump administration, under its practice of separating families at the border, forced migrant parents to leave the U.S. without their children, contradicting claims by officials that parents were willingly leaving them behind. 

South Carolina's juvenile prisons director: Sitting wearing dark suit, white shirt and glasses, South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice Director Freddie Pough testifies in front of state lawmakers in Columbia, S.C.

Lawmakers Grill South Carolina’s Juvenile Prisons Director

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina legislators are pushing to replace the director of the state’s embattled juvenile prisons, who stumbled through more than three hours of questioning last week.

New Mexico Second Chance Law Fails: New Mexico State Capitol tan adobe building front exterior, Santa Fe, NM

Ban On Juvenile Life Without Parole Fails In New Mexico

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A bill that would have prohibited life sentences and mandated earlier probation eligibility for juveniles has failed to become law in New Mexico, exposing deep rifts between those seeking judicial reform and victim advocates. 

homelessness: 2 women, 1 man discuss notes on whiteboard

Opinion: Youth Themselves Must Help Design Supports To Protect Them From Homelessness

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(Series: Part 7 of 7)
Part 1: How Do We Make Youth Homelessness Effort Bipartisan? Part 2: America’s Biases Marginalize Youth, Drive Them to Homelessness
Part 3: Collective Decision-making Can Neutralize Politics of Fear
Part 4: So, How Does This Collective Decision-making Work? Part 5: Youth Homelessness Is a Symptom, Not a Cause
Part 6: To Work On Youth Homelessness, Brainstorming, Decision Analysis Strong Tools
There are policies and practices that have been proven to work for communities that embrace them. Adopting such measures need not be a politicized action. In fact, all major federal juvenile justice reforms have involved bipartisan support and legislators working together across the aisle.