Juvenile Justice Expert David Schmidt Discusses Juvenile Life Without Parole

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Are sentences of life without parole for juveniles a death sentence? David Schmidt thinks so. See the short version just below. For more information on topics on like why a kid convicted of triple murder should still be released by the age of 21 see the full interview at the bottom of this page. Here are the time splits for the important topics Schmidt covers in the longer version below:

Life without parole - 00:33
Judge still could give 150 years - 1:20
Are we tough enough on kids - 1:38
There are dangerous young people - 2:03
Consider the individuals - 2:20
The New Mexico model and a triple murder - 3:00
Life without parole is a death sentence - 5:00
2,500 kids in jail without parole in 27 states - 5:50
Supreme Court acted cowardly - 7:05
Judge's and prosecutor's power - 8:00

Juvenile Court Judges Blast “Beyond Scared Straight”

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The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is calling on the A&E network to present the facts about the new show called “Beyond Scared Straight.”   The judges are joining a chorus of experts who warn that Scared Straight tactics do not work on at-risk kids, and may actually harm them. The  show debuted on the A&E cable network in January. It is the fourth incarnation of a theatrical film and television series that takes children inside adult prisons in an attempt to scare them away from a life of crime. JJIE.org has interviewed national experts and reviewed at least ten research studies that say Scared Straight programs are ineffective and a waste of money. Here’s the full statement from the National Council of Juvenile Court Judges:
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is concerned that the A&E program "Beyond Scared Straight" misrepresents the effectiveness of such interventions with youthful offenders.

Beyond Scared Straight: Experts Alarmed by New Show and Impact on Kids

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Seventeen cocky teenagers are about to get a wakeup call. They’re locked inside Rahway State Prison in New Jersey, with a group of inmates who call themselves the “Lifers.” These are guys doing 25 years to life for serious crimes like murder and armed robbery. Their job is to scare these troubled kids away from a life of crime by showing them the reality and the horror of prison. They call the program “Scared Straight!” For the next few hours, the Lifers will yell and curse at these kids. They push them around and get in their faces.

Advocates Urge DMC Amendment to Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

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Two well known child advocates are making an impassioned plea to fight harder against disproportionate minority contact in juvenile justice systems nationwide. Nancy Gannon Hornberger, executive director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, and her colleague, Gina E. Wood, chair of the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee, write about unfairness, inequality and racial and ethnic disparities in Youth Today. They urge congress to consider a DMC amendment to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Action, currently up for reauthorization.  They recommend a policy requiring every state to identify and solve problems with a six-point plan:

Establish coordinating bodies to oversee efforts to reduce disparities. Identify key decision points in the system (i.e., arrest, detention, diversion) and the criteria by which decisions are made. Create systems to collect local data at these points of contact of youth with the juvenile justice system (including case level/individual level data) to identify where disparities exist and the causes of such disparities.

Conference on Racial Disparities

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The Coalition for Juvenile Justice is holding its National DMC Conference October 23 – 25.  The OJJDP is expected to share preliminary results from the 2010 Disproportionate Minority Contact survey.   Some of the sessions will focus on:

Policies that unfairly shift youth of color into the juvenile justice system
Diverting youth of color: What a community with limited resources can do
The role of Schools in combating DMC
Effective police interactions with youth

The conference is in Jersey City, New Jersey. Details here. http://www.juvjustice.org/media/resources/public/resource_451.pdf

Grant targets status offenders

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The Coalition for Juvenile Justice just got a $95,000 grant to guide states on how to keep status offenders out of detention.   The Coalition is on a new list of groups getting grants this year from The Public Welfare Foundation in Washington, DC.  The Foundation is giving $2.6 million to organizations in the juvenile justice field this year. The Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta got a $300,000 grant to fund litigation aimed at reducing the rate of incarceration in Georgia and Alabama.  The organization provides lawyers for people facing the death penalty and challenges human rights violations in prisons and jails. For the entire list of grants, click here.