Life Without Parole for Juveniles: A Brief Look at the Issues

Tuesday the Supreme Court will take up the issue of life sentences without parole (LWOP) for juveniles convicted of murder. In 2010, the nation’s high court ruled juvenile LWOP sentences were unconstitutional in non-homicide crimes. Now, advocates are hopeful the court will extend the same protection to all juveniles, regardless of the offense. Pointing to research indicating that brains continue to develop into the early 20s, some groups, including the American Bar Association, argue juveniles are uniquely suited to rehabilitation and that a life sentence without the possibility of parole is a violation of the Eighth and 14th Amendments’ prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments. Juvenile LWOP sentences are, in fact, very rare, especially for 14-year-olds, the age of both juveniles sentenced in the two cases before the court.

The Flipped Classroom and the Changing Role of the Educator? [infographic]

It's no secret that technology is reshaping the educational landscape, but how exactly? This infographic from Knewton and Column Five Media offers a rather visual look at one new model of education. In the 'flipped classroom' no longer do teachers feel the 'sage of the stage' role, lecturing for hours on end, but instead shift to helper bee as a 'guide on the side.' Class time can be reserved for hands-on activities and problem solving, while internet-based video lecturers are the new homework. The statistics look promising, representing a substantial increase in performance by college freshman.

May 06, 2011

Read up:

Governor Deal (GA) signs Human Trafficking bill into law:
http://bit.ly/k5dzBP

OJJDP census of kids on probation:
http://bit.ly/kidsonprobi

CDC teen pregnancy stats 1991-2009 [infographic]:
http://bit.ly/preginfo

Justice Department report sheds light on human trafficking stats:
http://bit.ly/traffstats

Youth Justice Barbecue celebrates year of progress:
http://bit.ly/voxbbq

Host: Ryan Schill
Video: Clay Duda

Juvenile Sex Offenders [INFOGRAPHIC]

The OJJDP released a report titled "Juveniles Who Commit Sex Offenses Against Minors." The following infographic is a breakdown of some of the statistics from the report. What can you glean from this data? Is this a problem that needs more attention? How should these crimes be handled?