Gov. Deal Signs Human Trafficking Bill Into Law

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The human trafficking bill that toughens the penalty for sex traffickers and seeks to improve outcomes for victims has been officially signed into Georgia law.  

A small crowd of supporters gathered around Governor Nathan Deal Tuesday afternoon as he signed HB 200 at My Sister’s House in the Atlanta Mission. The legislation was introduced this year by Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Atlanta) and passed within the same legislative session, which wrapped up last month.  

The governor and his wife, First Lady Sandra Deal, shared encouraging words to the families of trafficking survivors during the signing event. Both commended child advocates for remaining vigilant in their work to eradicate child sex trafficking.

Conference Organizer Weighs In On Roots Of Black Male Crisis

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This weekend Ayo Tinubu, 31, teams up with his longtime mentor, former-Atlanta-City-Councilman-turned-AM-1380-WAOK-radio-show-talk-show-host Derrick Boazman, to host the fifth annual “Let Us Make Man: The Gathering to Reclaim Black Manhood.” The two-day forum at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Ga., a small town about 100 miles outside of Atlanta, aims to provide resources for parents, children, educators, churches, community organizations, criminal justice industry workers and child advocates to acquire the knowledge and resources needed to help legions of young black males in crisis. The forum focused on “redefining black male hood” includes an awards ceremony for exceptional male mentors and breakout sessions that explore such topics as “Law & Black Society,” “Mentoring,” “Educating Black Males,” “Spiritual Development,” “Restoring the Black Family” and “Black Youth Leadership.” Tinubu says he can relate to the challengees many young black males face in our society because he once faced similar problems. He shares with JJIE his perspective on the underlying issues facing young men of color and how he feels this event seeks to address them. JJIE: What made you get involved in Let Us Make Man (LUMM)? TINUBU: Derrick Boazman has been a part of my life since I was in high school. I wanted to get involved to help him and I believe in this event.

April Forum Aims To Provide Tools To Help Young Black Males Prosper

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Prevalent media portrayals of young African-American males as violent and angry make Ayo Tinubu cringe, but he can relate. At the age of 16, some guys at school had been bullying him. Finally fed up with the harassment and threats, he and some friends planned to retaliate. They skipped school at North Atlanta High School that day in 1996 then showed up that afternoon with brass knuckles and knives in tow, ready for battle. A quick-thinking school bus driver anticipated trouble and alerted the school principal before any violence erupted.

Charity Streetball Tourney Honors Murdered Teen, Raises Scholarship Funds

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The unprovoked murder of an Atlanta teen just a few minutes after midnight on New Year’s Eve has inspired the creation of a charity street basketball tour whose next stop is Mt. Zion High School in Jonesboro on January 30. Fourteen-year old Reuben Hand was on his way home with friends after watching the Peach Drop when he was attacked by a stranger at the Five Points Marta station.  They argued over a cell phone.  Police identified the man as Tommy Christopher Collins, and accused him of stabbing Reuben in the neck.

Mentoring Young People who are Getting Out of Detention or Prison

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A webinar from the Council of State Governments will focus on recruiting family members, teachers and other people to mentor youth who are getting back into the community after spending time in detention or prison.  The online event is free, and takes place Monday, November 1, at 3:30pm Eastern.  Speakers include:

David Altschuler, Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies
Shay Bilchik, Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, Georgetown University
Roger Jarjoura, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Founder, Aftercare for the Incarcerated through Mentoring
Dennis Talbert, Michigan Neighborhood Partnership

Learn more and register here.

Win Money for Telling Your Recovery Story

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September is Recovery Month and to celebrate, the Addiction Technology Transfer Center has an essay contest called In My Own Words. They want family members of loved ones struggling with addiction or long-term recovery to tell their stories. The first place winner will get $500. National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is aimed at supporting the treatment of people with alcohol and drug problems. Recovery Month focuses on family support for those dealing with addiction. Contest entries are due by midnight on October 15.

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

September is National Youth Court Month

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Youth court, which provides an alternative for kids who are first time offenders, is being celebration nationally this month, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service. In most youth courts, offenders are facing a misdemeanor or status offense for crimes like theft or vandalism. Youth court provides them with a network of community and juvenile justice experts to respond to their problems.

If your organization has planned activities, we’d love to hear about them. Email me at kedwar35@students.kennesaaw.edu

Delinquent Kids: Focus of New Senate Hearing

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How judges handle delinquent kids could change under proposals for a new juvenile code in Georgia. SB292, Article 7 focuses on kids who’ve committed acts that would be considered crimes if they were adults. Read SB292 here

Read Article 7 of the Proposed Model Code

Julia Neighbors of JUSTGeorgia tells me, “This article will primarily effect defense attorneys, district attorneys and superior court judges.” Article 7 will allow attorneys to access more of a child’s information as well as give superior court judges other options aside from detention. Article 7 fundamentally works to separate “unruly” kids from “delinquent” kids.  Delinquent kids now have alternatives of their own, such as the option to request bail. The Senate Judiciary Committee takes up these changes on September 30th at 2pm in the Capitol, room 450.

Judge Hatchett’s Self-Help Tips

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Former Fulton County Juvenile Court Chief Judge Glenda Hatchett of the Judge Hatchett Show has released a new self-help book, Dare to Take Charge: How to Live Your Life On Purpose. She’ll have a virtual book tour through Pump Up Your Book, a PR firm for authors, starting September 15 and ending October 29. Her book tells personal stories that encourage people to challenge themselves and face obstacles to reach their true potential, according to Pump Up Your Book. As we reported earlier this month, Hatchett will be in Atlanta keynoting the Truancy Intervention conference from October 27 to October 29.  The conference is entitled “Charting the Course:  Reinvesting In and Reengaging Georgia’s Youth” and will hold workshops with topics like “understanding why truancy exists” and “the connection between delinquency and juvenile offenses”.  Attendance is free, but space is limited.  Sign up here.