Charity Soccer Tournament Benefits Inner City Youth

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America SCORES Atlanta, a non-profit after-school program that uses soccer, poetry and community service to address some of the core problems of today’s youth, is holding a charity soccer tournament tomorrow. The 5th annual co-ed tourney, the America SCORES Cup Atlanta, brings together 12 teams representing corporations, churches and professional service firms for a day of friendly competition. Kick-off is at 9 a.m. at the Georgia Soccer Park in East Point. Teams participating include Alston & Bird, Frazier Deeter, King & Spalding, Earthlink, Concessions International and North Avenue Presbyterian Church. “Without their involvement in SCORES Cup, America SCORES wouldn’t be able to accomplish its goal of working to improve the lives of inner-city youth in Atlanta,” said Anthony Joseph, board chairman for America SCORES Atlanta.

Part Five: The Big Trouble With Oxy

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Just joining us? This is part five of a five part series. Start from the beginning. Scott Merritt, a certified addictions counselor and licensed therapist in metro Atlanta, estimates that about 40 percent of kids in Cobb County high schools use illegal drugs, including alcohol. Though federal officials say the rates nationwide are lower, Merritt isn’t pulling that 40 percent out of thin air.

Leonard Witt

JJIE.org Audience Grows Under John Fleming Editorship

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Not long ago I was bragging here about how our Juvenile Justice Information Exchange hit the 9,000 unique visitors a month mark. I thought that was really great for a niche journalism site covering juvenile justice issues. Now I am happy to report that by the end of March we hit the 12,000 monthly unique mark. Then last week it was 13,000 and this week it is 14,000 with more than 36,000 monthly page views; we are on a roll. No other entity online or offline convenes 14,000 parents, lawyers, policymakers, teens, system professions, judges and everyday citizens interested in juvenile justice.

Considering the Eighth Amendment and Juveniles

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A New York Times story examines the possibility of the U.S. Supreme Court in the near future taking up the question of whether a life sentence for a killing committed by a juvenile constitutes a violation of the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. A year ago, the high court ruled such sentences did violate the Eighth Amendment in cases not involving a killing. According to the story by Adam Liptak and Lisa Faye Petak, such a decision would affect some 2,500 prisoners.  

Part Four: Redemption and Temptation

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Just joining us? This is part four of a five part series. Start from the beginning. Kyle is now only a little more than four and a half months clean. His last relapse came during the Thanksgiving break of 2010.

Benjamin Chambers: Juvenile Drug Courts – There ARE Practice Guidelines

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Some of you may have heard this disturbing account of a drug court in Glynn County, Georiga, aired recently on "This American Life." Usually, a drug court may take a year, possible two years, to complete.  For 24-year-old Lindsey Dills, who was 18 when she entered the Glynn County juvenile drug court, she won't be done with it until 10-1/2 years later, counting time behind bars and probation. Now, the show makes it clear that this particular Georgia drug court is commonly thought to be run counter to generally-accepted principles of drug court. But I thought it would be a good time to mention the so-called : "16 strategies" for juvenile drug courts.  (Follow the link for a monograph from the Department of Justice, explaining the details.)

Here they are:

Strategy 1: Collaborative Planning
Strategy 2: Teamwork
Strategy 3: Clearly Defined Target Population and Eligibility Criteria
Strategy 4: Judicial Involvement and Supervision
Strategy 5: Monitoring and Evaluation
Strategy 6: Community Partnerships
Strategy 7: Comprehensive Treatment Planning
Strategy 8: Developmentally Appropriate Services
Strategy 9: Gender-Appropriate Services
Strategy 10: Cultural Competence
Strategy 11: Focus on Strengths
Strategy 12: Family Engagement Strategy 13: Educational Linkages
Strategy 14: Drug Testing
Strategy 15: Goal-Oriented Incentives and Sanctions
Strategy 16: Confidentiality

 
The above story is reprinted with permission from Reclaiming Futures, a national initiative working to improve alcohol and drug treatment outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system.  

Father Furious At Police For Charging Son

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Police in Cobb County, Ga., have charged a 16-year-old boy with second-degree vehicular homicide after the vehicle he was driving crashed, killing his mother. Police say the two were on their way to an orthodontist appointment when their car was hit at an intersection in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. Police say the boy -- whose name is being withheld because he is a juvenile -- was trying to turn left into the intersection, but his view was obstructed by a truck. When he pulled into the intersection his car was hit by two oncoming vehicles. One hit the passenger door killing his mother, 45-year-old Kimberly Michelle Nichols.

OxyContin Abuse Plagues Ohio

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Ohio is struggling with a severe prescription drug abuse epidemic, according to a story in The New York Times. In the last decade, fatal overdoses surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in the state. Most popular among drug addicts is the painkiller OxyContin.  Read more about the devastating effects of prescription drugs and OxyContin abuse in Prescribed Addiction, the first in our ongoing series, Journeys.  

Marijuana Found in 5-Year-Old’s Backpack

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A mother is accused of putting marijuana in her 5-year-old daughter's school backpack in Gwinnett County, Ga., according to wsbtv.com. When the girl got on her school bus the driver noticed a strange  smell coming from her clothing and her backpack. When the driver asked the child about it, the girl pulled out 10 small baggies of marijuana packaged for sale. She told the driver her mom put it there. After police obtained a search warrant  to the child’s home, investigators found a relaxant and two grams of crack cocaine.

Part Three: A Friend and Reason for Hope

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Just joining us? This is part three of a five part series. Start from the beginning. Kyle Boyer, 15-year-old prescription drug addict, duped his parents once again, faking a stomach ache to stay home from school. But instead of staying in bed, he went out to do what had become his norm – breaking into houses and stealing whatever the medicine cabinets within had to offer.