Jailed Kids Drugged Without Diagnosis

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Kids behind bars in American juvenile facilities are getting anti-psychotic drugs intended for bipolar or schizophrenic patients, even when they haven’t been diagnosed with either disorder, according to a year-long investigation by Youth Today. Even in cases when diagnoses are made for such disorders, some experts believe those diagnoses are rooted in convenience rather than the medical evidence. “Critics believe most of these diagnoses are simply a cover for the fact that prisons now use drugs as a substitute for banned physical restraints that once were used on juveniles who aggressively acted out,” Youth Today points out. The findings come from state juvenile systems that provided in-depth information on their use of the drugs. Only 16 states responded to a nationwide survey by Youth Today.

Push for Harassed LGBT Kids to Take Action

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There’s a new campaign that focuses on empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students, as well as their supporters, to report incidents of bullying, harassment or discrimination to the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Education Department. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays has partnered with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network to launch the Claim Your Rights campaign, which revealed some alarming statistics:

Approximately 85 percent of high school students report being harassed in school because of their real or perceived sexual orientation … and only 18 percent of LGBT students report their schools have policies [that] offer comprehensive protections. The campaign provides detailed information on how to file a report, as well as an easy to print fact sheet. To further check out the campaign, click here. To access the fact sheet, click here.

Social Host Ordinance May Hold Parents Accountable for Teen Drinking

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If a young person under 21 drinks on your property, you could be legally responsible even if you didn’t provide the alcohol under a new social host ordinance proposed by the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce. The Taskforce is making a presentation at the Cobb Municipal Association meeting on October 12 to propose that jurisdictions adopt social host ordinances. They hope to target Cobb County and six cities including Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs, and Smyrna. “The community has been pretty good about holding kids fairly accountable for underage drinking,” said Cathy Fink, the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce coordinator. “Private parties are the primary source of underage drinking and the community is having trouble holding adults accountable for providing places for minors to drink.”

Under current law, police can charge underage drinkers with possession or consumption of alcohol and an adult can be charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Expunging Your Record: How-To Forum

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An estimated 400,000 Georgians will be arrested for a criminal offense this year, according to the Georgia Justice Project. Some of these people will never be convicted, but their arrest record could make it hard for them to get a job, rent an apartment, get into school, etc. The Georgia Justice Project is hosting a forum called “Is There A Real Second Chance in Georgia?” on October 9. It’s a day long event to help people get their records expunged and/or corrected. Religious leaders and elected officials, including Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, will be there.

KIDS COUNT: 22% of Georgia Kids Live in Poverty

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New Data from KIDS COUNT shows more children are living in poverty across the country, while the poverty rate for children in Georgia stands at 22%.   The updated numbers include data from the U.S. Census bureau.  You can look up states, cities and for the first time congressional districts. “These numbers should be a major wakeup call,” said Laura Beavers, national KIDS COUNT coordinator at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “The economic success of America’s children and families, now more than ever, depends on the financial stability of the communities they live in.”

Among other things, the database includes a survey of teenage risky behaviors from 2007-2008.  Here’s what they report from Georgia:

7% engaged in binge drinking
5% used marijuana
4% use other illicit drugs

Kids – Not Parents – Get to Call the Shots in Court Under New Code

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Parents are not always the best advocates for children charged with crimes. In fact, parents may be uninvolved, absent, or even hostile, experts told state senators as they discussed proposed changes to Georgia’s juvenile code. Some of those experts were young people who’ve been through the juvenile justice system. They are identified by first names only:

Giovan, 20, was only 11 months old when he entered foster care. By 12, he was also in the juvenile justice system, declared unruly for cursing at foster parents he says repeatedly told him he was worth nothing.

Normer Adams: Downing Clark Center

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On February 4, 2010, Downing Clark Center's (DCC) license to provide residential care for 72 behaviorally disturbed children was revoked by the Office of Residential Child Care (ORCC).  This revocation was based on nine alleged violations of licensing rules for Child Caring Institutions that came to "light" as a result of a "riot" on January 5, 2010.  Downing Clark Center appealed this revocation.  On September 23, Administrative Law Judge Steven W. Teate's ruling reversed this revocation of license and removed seven out of the nine violation citations that led to this revocation.  Two low level safety risk violations of licensing were substantiated by Judge Teate. On the evening of January 5, 2010, a prank 911 call was made to the Gordon County Sheriff’s Department from the Downing Clark Center in Gordon County by one of the residents with a contraband cell phone. Staff immediately advised the arriving deputies that there was no disturbance and everything was in order. Against the staff's requests, 27 more deputies arrived and initiated what became a full scale police riot.  These male officers barged into this all girl facility against the repeated pleas of staff.  After the deputies exchanged racial slurs and sexist comments with the residents, 20 behaviorally and mentally challenged girls were taken to jail on a variety of charges. Judge Teate could find no basis for the deputies entering the facility based on a prank 911 call.  Video of the entire night clearly showed the facility in order and in control by the staff when the deputies arrived. The deputy’s verbal testimony did not match what the Judge saw on the video.  No disturbance was seen on the video. The video showed no doors breached, no screaming in the hallways and no "total chaos" in the facility.

Poll Shows People Believe That Kids Can Be Rehabilitated

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Georgia has some of the toughest juvenile crime laws in the nation that focus more on punishment than rehabilitation. A new report suggests that the public may have different attitudes.  Some highlights:

People believe rehabilitation and treatment can reduce crime AND are willing to pay extra taxes to provide those services;
They support rehabilitation even for young people who commit violent crimes;
They oppose young offenders being sent to adult criminal court without an individual determination made in each case;
They agree that non-white youth are more likely than white youth to be prosecuted as adults; and
believe strongly in a separate juvenile justice system. These findings are from the National Juvenile Justice Network’s recently updated “Polling on Public Attitudes About the Treatment of Young Offenders.” The information was collected between 2005 and 20007 and the document also looks back at public attitudes during the 1990’s. To read the full document, click here.

How Social Media Can Help or Hurt in Court

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Teens have been warned that what they post on Facebook, Myspace and other social websites can affect their chances at getting into college or landing a job. Now, judges and attorneys are using these online profiles in court, which could hurt or help. Criminal defense lawyers sometimes consider reviewing social pages as important as reviewing medical and school records and other background information, according to the New York Law Journal. Teens often post pictures of their wild exploits and share information through posts and comments. This kind of personal disclosure can undermine statements they make in court and lead to a longer sentence.

11 year old Boy Arrested at School for Beating 94 year old Man

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Cobb County Police went to an elementary school to arrest an 11 year old boy for a brutal assault. A second boy, who is 15, surrendered to police.  According to WXIA TV, they’re accused of beating 94 year old Paul Smallwood at his home over the weekend.  Both face multiple charges, including armed robbery, aggravated assault, and violation of the Georgia Gang Act.