DJJ’s Howell Promises New Direction at Troubled Eastman YDC

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After two incidents at the Eastman Youth Development Campus last week, director Todd Weeks is out.  Department of Juvenile Justice Commissioner Amy Howell took action on Friday, tapping George Smith to fill the job on an interim basis.  A statement from DJJ says, “The Commissioner is actively moving the Eastman YDC in a new direction with new leadership.  “

Smith will be coming out of retirement to run Eastman.  Until last November he was Deputy Director of Facilities Operations at the Georgia Department of Corrections.  He spent 34 years with the agency. Eastman houses some of the toughest young offenders in the state – older teens who have committed serious crimes.  Disturbances there are not new.  Last May, an uprising led to an escape.  In the latest incident on February 2nd, a correctional officer was injured and treated at a local hospital, according to DJJ spokesperson Scheree Moore.  On January 30, about 60 inmates acted out and refused to follow orders.  Five of them beat a guard with a broom handle, and several set small fires in a dorm.   Someone at Eastman called for help and six police agencies rushed to the campus. It took about an hour to get the inmates back in their cells. Last week’s incidents remain under investigation.  The statement from DJJ adds, “Commissioner Howell is taking these incidents that are occurring at Eastman very seriously and is committed to providing a safe and secure environment to the youth that are housed and the employees that work at the facility.”

Popular Kids Believe Bullying Enhances Their Status

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The most popular kids in school are probably the most aggressive, according to a new study.  While aggression will not increase a kid’s popularity, popularity does increase aggression. The study by two University of California-Davis sociologists finds that popular kids have a tendency to be social climbers, and believe bullying is a tool for reinforcing or enhancing their status. But there’s a very different story to tell about kids who are extremely popular – the top 2 percent. They're actually the least aggressive and it may well be because they feel the most secure, according livescience.com

The study is published in the American Sociological Review, where researchers also report that the nearly two-thirds of kids are bystanders and do not participate in bullying.  They recommend that efforts to end aggression and bullying should focus on getting those bystanders to condemn bullying.

Suburbs See Largest Increase in Teen Gang Activity

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More kids are joining gangs than ever before and reports of gang violence are on the rise.  For the first time, gang activity has been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, says a report by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Suburban areas saw the largest increase in gang activity at 22 percent followed closely by rural communities.  Part of the problem, according to the report, is the lack of gang awareness among community leaders, parents, and school. The report, “Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs,” says that many kids join gangs for protection, respect, and money, among other reasons.  Gang members exhibit common risk factors that include antisocial behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, and mental health problems.  Almost all gang members were involved in previous delinquent acts. The report also describes prevention and intervention strategies for kids at various levels of gang participation.  Kids at risk for joining gangs should be taught refusal skills while those already in gangs should join intervention programs.