Safe Haven Not Effective Says Health Official

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Georgia’s safe haven law is intended to save unwanted infants from abandonment but one health official says it may not work. According to Dr. Jack Birge, of the Carroll County, Ga., health board, a condition requiring parents to disclose personal information like their name, address and social security number before turning over their child is discouraging many from participating. “I think those are the circumstances that render the law potentially ineffective,” Birge told the Times-Georgian. The safe haven law allows parents to turn their newborn over to employees at hospitals and other medical facilities, without fear of prosecution. In Carroll County, no children have been turned over to officials in the last three years, however there were two children abandoned during that time, according to the Times-Georgian.

Father of Dead Teen Says 21-Year-Old Bought Alcohol for Crash Victims

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The father of a teen killed in a Friday night crash says a 21-year-old provided alcohol to his daughter and other teens involved in the accident, according to CBSAtlanta.com

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Sauls died, while Taylor Cross, 19, and Jamie McManis, 15, were injured when the vehicle they were in crashed in Douglas County, Ga., west of Atlanta, according to the Georgia State Patrol (GSP). Police have charged the driver, Jason Lark, 17, with DUI and vehicular homicide in addition to a number of other traffic violations. Eric Sauls’, the victim’s father, told CBS Atlanta that the 21-year-old left the scene of the accident before any emergency personnel arrived. While the public spokesperson for the GSP, Lt. Paul Cosper, said there was a fifth person involved, he could not confirm the age of the person. “We are still investigating who this person is,” said Cosper.

Augusta-area Teen Accused of Fatally Shooting Friend

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An Augusta-area 14-year-old is accused of shooting his neighbor and hiding her body in the woods. Police say the boy, Lacy Aaron Schmidt, shot Alana Callahan, also 14, in the head and neck while she sat at her home computer on January 31. According to the Augusta-Chronicle, Schmidt first said Alana was killed by an intruder before saying he shot her accidently. Police say Alana was killed by a 9 mm handgun, the same kind owned by her father. Authorities later found the gun hidden in Schmidt’s home.

Sweet 16 Party Ends in Gunfire, Four Teens wounded in Gwinnett County

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Police are hunting for a gunman who fired as many as two dozen shots at a sweet 16 birthday party Saturday night. WSB-TV reports four students from Shiloh High School in Snellville were wounded.  As many as 75 teenagers were partying inside a private home, according to an account from 11alive.com. Witnesses said they heard arguing outside right before the shooting started.  The gunman is described as an uninvited guest who showed up with a rifle, stood outside the house and shot at the windows.

Why Juvenile Justice Could be Big Loser In Obama Budget

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The Obama administration is proposing deep cuts in juvenile justice programs while boosting funding for policing and prisons, according to the D.C.-based Justice Policy Institute. These priorities, says the Institute (JPI), go counter to Obama administration public statements urging a reduction in the historically high prison population of some 2.4 million. Additionally, says the JPI, the FY 2012 Budget proposes to spend money on failed polices and has missed an opportunity to fund “smarter investments in proven programs.”

[Click here to look through the proposed FY 2012 Budget]

An Institute factsheet reports the budget would slash some $50 million from juvenile programs, including prevention. These programs are designed to help many of the nearly 100,000 kids currently in detention and correctional facilities across the nation. At the same time, the budget proposes an increase of $116 million from FY 2010 for facilities.