Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/tag/juvenile-justice/page/89/)
President Obama has joined nationally syndicated columnist Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” Project to fight against gay bullying. In a video released last week, Obama said he was "shocked and saddened" by the recent suicides of several young people who were bullied and taunted for being gay. Click here for the full video, in case you missed it.
Seven years ago, South Atlanta High School student Faydren Battle had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Problems at home and problems with her boyfriend kept her on edge and out of school. She says her life turned around when truancy charges landed her in court and introduced her to the Truancy Intervention Project, co-founded by former Fulton County Juvenile Court Chief Judge Glenda Hatchett and Terry Walsh, then President of the Atlanta Bar Association. The non-profit works closely with children who skip school (and their families) to address the underlying problems that keep them out of the classroom. Battle, now 25, is one of thousands of success stories the organization has celebrated over its 19-year history.
Police in Albany, Ga may soon be going after kids with saggy, baggy, droopy pants. The first draft of an ordinance called “Public Indecency Prohibited” was introduced to the City Commission on Tuesday to replace another law called the “Defecation in Public” statute (yes, that’s defecation). According to the Albany Herald, this ordinance prohibits people from wearing pants or skirts more than three inches below the tops of the hips and exposing any skin or underwear below. It’s patterned after a similar ordinance passed last month by the folks in Dublin, Ga, 120 miles up the road. Aside from banning saggy pants, the law would also ban people from performing certain acts in public, such as nudity, masturbation and sex.
Juvenile crime rates have dropped in the past 20 years and new research is showing why. The greatest reduction involves kids who commit crimes together, according to research from the OJJDP. The study cites some reasons that could apply across the country:
More participation in religious and volunteer groups
A reduction in the use of guns
The drug market shifted from selling crack cocaine to selling marijuana
Which kids are more likely to offend? Those exposed to violence, childhood abuse and neglect, according to this research. Crime is also more likely to happen in small, geographical areas such as individual street blocks. For the detailed report, click here.
Looking for a way to help at-risk youth in your community? Start an arts program. Arts programs for at-risk youth in Atlanta and two other cities show measurable success in helping kids stay out of trouble and develop a more positive attitude about their future, according to research sponsored by the OJJDP and the National Endowment for the Arts. Art-at-Work in Atlanta started 14 years ago as a collaborative effort between the Fulton County Arts Council and Juvenile Court. The program was designed to provide art instruction, job training and literacy education to a small group of first-time status offenders, primarily truants, from 14 to 16-years old.
A webinar from the Council of State Governments will focus on recruiting family members, teachers and other people to mentor youth who are getting back into the community after spending time in detention or prison. The online event is free, and takes place Monday, November 1, at 3:30pm Eastern. Speakers include:
David Altschuler, Johns Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies
Shay Bilchik, Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, Georgetown University
Roger Jarjoura, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Founder, Aftercare for the Incarcerated through Mentoring
Dennis Talbert, Michigan Neighborhood Partnership
Learn more and register here.
The Broad Prize for Urban Education goes to the Gwinnett County public school system this year. It’s the largest education prize in the country, honoring large urban school districts with top performing students that also narrow the achievement gap for poor and minority students. The $1 million in prize money will go directly to high school seniors for college scholarships. Gwinnett Schools won this award for good reason. More than half its students are minorities and half are eligible for the subsidized lunch program. The school system is overcoming the odds for kids in several ways:
Outperforms other schools in Georgia with a similar student profile in reading and math
Cuts the gaps in reading and math scores between African-American and white students at all grade levels
Gets more minority teens to take the SAT, ACT and Advanced Placement exams
The school district is the largest in Georgia with close to 161,000 students this year, according to the school system website.
If your child gets caught bringing a gun to school, he or she may have trouble getting into a college and the military may not be an option. Possession of a weapon on school grounds is a felony and kids don’t realize the consequences of their actions, according to the Macon Telegraph. The newspaper looked at a sampling of colleges in Georgia and found that most applications ask if students have ever had a felony conviction or been suspended from school. Those who answer yes have their transcripts and disciplinary records reviewed by a special panel. This doesn’t mean an automatic denial for a student with a record, but it can severely hamper his or her chances of getting in.
Every day, thousands of kids wake up afraid to go to school. They check their Facebook or look at their cell phones, worried about what they’ll find. If there’s a child in your life who needs help, check out a webcast sponsored by the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Working Group, taking place October 27 at 1:00 p.m.
The webcast will feature a panel of experts including:
Dr. Catherine Bradshaw, Associate Director, Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence
Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, U.S. Department of Education
Capt. Stephanie Bryn, Director, Injury and Violence Prevention Programs, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The registration deadline is October 25. To register and get log in information, click here.
There’s a steady increase in the number of kids sent to adult court for violent crimes in Central Florida, where 600 teens were tried as adults last year. The Orlando Sentinel reports on the dilemma facing prosecutors and judges, who want violent offenders locked up in prison. While child advocates argue that exposing children to prison life is almost a guarantee they will reoffend. A criminal justice professor points out a problem that may sound familiar:
“The increase reflects a system-wide conundrum when dealing with violent repeat young offenders: The juvenile-justice system — oriented toward rehabilitating children — offers few alternatives for punishing young offenders who pose serious threats to the community”