Florida County to Detain Kids in Adult Jail

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Central Florida’s Polk County has become the first jurisdiction in that state to make plans under a new state law to house juveniles who are awaiting trial in adult jail rather than in a state juvenile detention center, according to NewsChief.com, a Winter Haven, Fla., news site. That change was made possible because Polk Sheriff Grady Judd pushed state Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, to sponsor a bill in this year’s Florida Legislature that loosens the standards county jails must meet to house juveniles. The state currently charges counties $237 per day to hold each juvenile in pretrial detention, and that rate is expected to rise later this year. Judd told NewsChief.com that the county expects to spend $70-$90 per day per juvenile detainee. He predicts the switch will save the county around $1.5 million.

Conference Searches for Solutions to Stop Underage Drinking

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KENNESAW, Ga. – Convening policy-makers, law enforcement officials and representatives from the courts, The Cobb Alcohol Task Force on Monday hosted a conference to develop plans to reduce underage drinking. The daylong Justice System Response to Underage Drinking: Roadmap for Improvement held at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, brought the “significant players to the table,” according to Alisa Bennett-Hart, Cobb Alcohol Taskforce’s public relations specialist. “Sometimes we have to get everybody together to listen to what they have to say,” Bennet-Hart said.  “This [conference] is us listening.”

The morning began with presentations and an hour-long roundtable panel discussion by a mixture of experts from law enforcement, the courts and advocates. After lunch, participants split into smaller breakout sessions where they could discuss potential strategies.  Each session included a mixture of law enforcement, judicial representatives and policy makers.

Church Offers Grant for Kids

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A Brighter Future for Children and Youth is a grant offered by the United Methodist Church. This grant offers up to $4,000 for projects and programs addressing kids between 5 and 18 in the areas of violence and abuse prevention. The average grant is about $2,500. Grants submitted in Spanish are accepted. The deadline for this grant is July 1, 2011.

Best Buy Helps Give Best to Kids

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The Best Buy Children’s Foundation is offering the @15 Community Grants Program. This grant enables teens to thrive by helping them excel in school, engage in communities and develop life and leadership skills. The Foundation offers a number of grants ranging anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 to nonprofits that serve kids between the ages of 13-18. The deadline to apply for this grant is August 1, 2011.

ID Theft Tied to Foster Care System

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Imagine getting bills for services you didn’t get when still a teen — and then finding out when you’re 18 that your credit rating is already shot. This Rhode Island TV station found three kids who went through that brand of identity theft. They shared two other things in common: All went through Rhode Island’s foster care system, and all believe the identity thief was a family member or close friend. The station says a congressmen, Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., plans to introduce legislation in Congress designed to protect potential victims of such crimes. You’ll find more on WPRI’s investigation here.

The Street Outreach Grant

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The Department of Health and Human Services, The Administration for Children and Families, The Administration on Children, Youth and Families, is offering the Runaway and Homeless Youth Street Outreach Program. The goal is to assist children who fall victim to exploitation and abuse on the streets. The objective is to increase the safety, wellbeing and self-sufficiency of homeless youth. This is accomplished by building connections with them so organizations can help provide for the child’s immediate physical needs while helping improve behavioral and psychological health for them. The deadline is June 24, 2011.

Grant To Study Drug Interactions with Neurons

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The Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and components of participating National Institute on Drug Abuse are sponsoring the Science Drug Abuse Partnership Award. The goal is to enhance understanding of how the mechanisms of a neuron interact or react to drug abuse and addiction among K-12 students. This is an educational grant that aims for its intended audience to learn the scientific reasoning behind what happens when someone uses drugs. This is to help garner understanding of drug abuse to help prevent it. The deadline for this grant is May 25, 2012.

Grant to Assist Welfare of Kids

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The American Legion of Child Welfare Foundation offers grants to programs that help kids in new and innovative programs. This grant looks for organizations that contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of kids.  The grants are awarded for one year and must be completed within the award year. The foundation requires the grants have the potential to help American children in more than one state. The deadline for this grant is July 15, 2011.  

Helping Kids with Substance Abuse Grant

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Mental Health Services is offering grants for Expansion of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and their Families. The grants' purpose is development of a comprehensive strategic plan to improve and expand services provided by systems of care for kids. These systems will address substance abuse problems, serious emotional disturbances and families undergoing this pressure. The aim of this grant is to help reduce suicide attempts, enhance contact with police and to improve school attendance. The deadline for this grant is June 2, 2011.