Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/tag/juvenile-justice/page/15/)
The other day I visited a young black man from Philadelphia doing time for an armed robbery.
First, let me say that there is no way I could have imagined spending time with a thug like Steve before I was led into prison ministry — and it's safe to assume most people would feel likewise. That's why I'd like to share what happened.
The solitary confinement policies for youth vary widely in Nebraska, with stays of weeks and even months permitted in some facilities, says a new report from the ACLU of Nebraska.
Champions for change is key to reform. No champions, no change.
No matter the number of evidence-based programs we identify, and the best approaches and models to deliver them, they are meaningless unless someone calls attention to them.
I am Kalief Browder.
No, seriously. I am him and he is me. We’re each other. In fact, saying that I’m Mr. Browder does him a disservice because he was a much better kid than I was.
According to a new study by the San Francisco-based Young Minds Advocacy, as many as 70 percent of the kids in California’s juvenile detention centers are in need of mental health care, and most of them are not getting it.
After swelling for decades, the number of Americans in prison is finally, gradually beginning to shrink. For the first time since 1978, populations in both state and federal prisons are getting smaller, the result of an overall decline in crime, an easing of the War on Drugs and reform efforts on the part of many states.
But what about the racial disparity in incarceration? Is it easing, too?
Tens of thousands of juveniles have been arrested by school police in San Bernardino County, California over the last decade. The arrests were so numerous that they surpassed arrests of juveniles by municipal police in some of California’s biggest cities.
Each year, thousands of children are subjected to solitary confinement in juvenile facilities and adult jails and prisons. Solitary confinement — also known as room confinement, seclusion, isolation or segregation — is the involuntary placement of a youth alone in a cell, room or other area for any reason.
When I became a judge, it didn’t take long to question why so many kids appeared in my court on minor school offenses. In 1995, the year before police were introduced to schools, there were only 50 referrals to the court. By 2004, it had increased to 1,200 referrals.
School officials treat rap music as a serious threat to the school environment. Fear and misunderstanding of, as well as bias against, this highly popular and lucrative musical art form negatively shape their perspectives on this vital aspect of youth culture.