Charity Streetball Tourney Honors Murdered Teen, Raises Scholarship Funds

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The unprovoked murder of an Atlanta teen just a few minutes after midnight on New Year’s Eve has inspired the creation of a charity street basketball tour whose next stop is Mt. Zion High School in Jonesboro on January 30. Fourteen-year old Reuben Hand was on his way home with friends after watching the Peach Drop when he was attacked by a stranger at the Five Points Marta station.  They argued over a cell phone.  Police identified the man as Tommy Christopher Collins, and accused him of stabbing Reuben in the neck.

Millions of Friends to get AMBER Alerts on Facebook

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Facebook will now distribute AMBER Alerts to 140 million users in the U.S.  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Office of Justice Programs announced the new partnership at the Washington, D.C. office of Facebook. It gives law enforcement a new tool to quickly spread the word about kidnappings and missing children to more people than ever across the entire country. Click here to watch the news conference

AMBER Alerts also go out to broadcast and print media, the trucking industry, wireless phone companies and Internet service providers.  The AMBER Alert program has helped rescued 525 children over the years.

Beyond Scared Straight: Experts Alarmed by New Show and Impact on Kids

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Seventeen cocky teenagers are about to get a wakeup call. They’re locked inside Rahway State Prison in New Jersey, with a group of inmates who call themselves the “Lifers.” These are guys doing 25 years to life for serious crimes like murder and armed robbery. Their job is to scare these troubled kids away from a life of crime by showing them the reality and the horror of prison. They call the program “Scared Straight!” For the next few hours, the Lifers will yell and curse at these kids. They push them around and get in their faces.

Deal Confronts Crime, Education and HOPE at Inauguration

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Governor Nathan Deal is making public safety and crime one of his top priorities.  The former Juvenile Court Judge from Hall County took the oath of office Monday afternoon, then launched into a get-tough talk.  “Presently 1 out of every 13 Georgians is under some form of correctional control,” he said. “It costs about 3 million dollars per day to operate our Department of Corrections.  And yet everyday criminals continue to inflict violence on our citizens, and an alarming number of the perpetrators are juveniles.”

The new governor warned that “breaking the culture of crime” is not just the role of law enforcement. “Parents must assume more responsibility for their children. Communities must marshal their collective wills.

New Year, New Leadership: First Woman DJJ Commissioner Amy Howell Speaks

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Governor-Elect Nathan Deal took office Monday in Georgia. In a surprise move just before the winter holidays, he tapped Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Deputy Commissioner Amy Howell to replace Garland Hunt as commissioner.  Howell is an alumna of Emory University’s Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic and a past president of the Young Lawyer’s  Division of the State Bar of Georgia. In her first formal interview late last week, she talked to JJIE.org’s Chandra Thomas about her plans at the helm of an agency facing more severe budget cuts in the coming year. Your appointment was a surprise to many in juvenile justice circles, was that the case for you too? I didn’t directly seek the appointment, but I have always made it known as the former president of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia that I am open to new challenges.  I was really surprised because I have not been working with the agency for 30-plus years.

Doing More with Less: What DJJ Budget Cuts Really Mean for Children

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As Georgia faces its greatest budget crisis since the Great Depression, the state Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) has been forced to make drastic budget cuts.  The last three years have seen a reduction of more than 20% in state funding.  And future cuts of up to 10% for FY 2012 are possible. Jeff Minor, long time DJJ Chief Financial Officer, explains these losses in stark terms:

In FY 2009, DJJ’s base budget totaled nearly $343 million.  By 2011, the budget was down to $266 million. The FY 2012 budget faces further cuts, from $15.4 million in a best case scenario to $25.7 million in a worst case scenario. Over a three year period, the cuts could total nearly 30%. In addition, says Minor, the agency lost more than $80 million in one-time budget cuts, largely absorbed through staff furloughs and hiring freezes.

New Suicide Prevention Task Force Targets LGBT Kids

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Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people are up to seven times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers and transgender kids also have higher rates of suicidal behavior. This information comes from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and spurred the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (NSSP) to launch a new task force that targets LGBT young people. The Alliance was created last September as a partnership with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. Several suicides involving LGBT teens made headlines last year. The most notable may be the Rutgers University freshman who jumped to his death from a bridge after his private encounter with another boy was posted on the Internet.

Outgoing DJJ Commissioner Garland Hunt Reflects On His Brief, But Busy Term

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The man who Governor Sonny Perdue tapped seven months ago to serve as Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice Commissioner is leaving his post after only seven months on the job. Garland Hunt officially departs this week following Governor-Elect Nathan Deal’s decision last month to name DJJ Deputy Commissioner Amy Howell in his place.  Hunt is a lawyer, an ordained minister and co-pastor of the Father’s House church in Norcross, and a corrections industry veteran.  He spoke to JJIE.org’s Chandra R. Thomas about his brief tenure overseeing a state agency with some 4,300 employees who are charged with monitoring and caring for some 20,000 youngsters. Many people were surprised to see you replaced after such a short time in the position. How do you feel about the decision? As I stated in the letter I sent to the staff, I certainly regret not being appointed to the position but I respect the governor-to-be’s appointment.

Kids Who Abuse Drugs Are More Likely to Commit Serious Crimes

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Most young people who land in juvenile court have been using drugs, which may shed light on why some kids commit moreserious crimes and continue getting into trouble. Kids involved in criminal activity are much more likely than other juvenile offenders to abuse drugs and alcohol, according to a study commissioned by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The Pathways to Desistance study, called Substance Use and Delinquent Behavior Among Serious Adolescent Offenders, looked at more than 1,300 young offenders over 7 years. The study shows kids involved with drugs need income and they have trouble coping and making decisions. They get into trouble and fail to take responsibility for their actions.

Deal Announces New Director for Georgia Division of Family and Children Services

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Rachelle Carnesale has been named as the next director of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.   Governor-elect Nathan Deal’s transition team put out the word this week. Carnesale replaces Mark Washington, who left the post in September to become COO of FaithBridge Foster Care, Inc., a non-profit family services agency in Alpharetta. Carnesale is a lawyer with a background as both a prosecutor in child abuse cases, and an administrator of a child welfare agency.  She is currently acting director of the Office of the Child Advocate. As deputy director of the OCA she ran the Child Fatality Investigation Program and developed the Child Abuse Training Academy.   She has also been a prosecutor in DeKalb and Cherokee Counties.