DJJ School System Loses Out On Some Federal Money, But Is Preparing For Dual Accreditation

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By Chandra R. Thomas

Department of Juvenile Justice School System leaders are recovering from a major disappointment, but also celebrating other victories while working toward maintaining the system’s academic standing. First the bad news: The school system did not get any of the Race To The Top grant money received by 26 other school systems in the state. Last month Governor Sonny Perdue announced that Georgia was selected as a winner by the U.S. Department of Education for the second round of the grants. Georgia is projected to receive $400 million over four years to implement its plan to create conditions for education innovation and reform. The fund is a $4 billion grant opportunity provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to support new approaches to improve schools.

DeKalb DA Resigns to Work for Feds

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The DeKalb County District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming resigned Wednesday. President Obama has appointed her to the post of the regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. As District Attorney, Fleming managed 13,000 cases a year and oversaw 165 employees. She will now oversee eight states, including Georgia, and six tribal nations, according to the AJC. It’s up to Governor Purdue to appoint a replacement.

Young Sex Offenders: Public or Private Knowledge?

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The national debate about kids who are convicted of sex offenses is under the microscope in St. Louis. Is it the public’s right to know who these kids are and does it justify the impact on a young person’s life for years to come? As a juvenile, Michael Church was convicted of a sex crime. Now at age 22, Church is in jail again, accused of trying to lure two girls to his home, according to KMOV-TV.

Police Arrest Detention Center Director

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The director of the Aaron Cohn Regional Youth Detention Center in Columbus, Ga. was arrested on Sunday for gambling, which is a misdemeanor. Police arrested Jimmie Lee Hooks III and 14 others at a Columbus beauty shop where they were found playing poker for money. Police also found crack cocaine and illegal alcohol sales and charged the owner of the shop with additional crimes. Hooks has been with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice since January 2001 and became director of the Center in March 2010, according to Scheree Moore, the department’s director of communications.

DJJ Unveils Severe Budget Cuts: Is There A Silver Lining?

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By Chandra R. Thomas

Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice Board members say there’s possibly a silver lining to the proposed 2011 budget cuts released today. They say despite the many challenges the cuts raise, there’s great potential for positive outcomes from the reductions recently mandated by Governor Sonny Perdue, but they’re mostly contingent on legislative support. Board members unanimously passed Deputy Commissioner Jeff Minor’s suggested budget changes Thursday during a meeting at the department’s Decatur headquarters. The reductions, some say, could ultimately force Georgia leaders – from the governor to state legislators – to reassess which young people get locked up and for how long. Such changes could eventually reduce the number of low-risk children being held in youth detention centers.

17 States Fight Craigslist "Adult Services"

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Attorneys General in 17 states have teamed up to try to get rid of the Craigslist’s “adult services” section, according to a CNN report. As we reported earlier this month, the popular “adult services” section has been scrutinized because of ads that exploit women and underage girls.  The attorneys general addressed Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster and founder Craig Newmark in a scathing letter on Tuesday. The increasingly sharp public criticism of Craigslist's Adult Services section reflects a growing recognition that ads for prostitution -- including ads trafficking children -- are rampant on it. They go on to highlight an open letter that two girls wrote to Craigslist in July about being trafficked through the site.  The Attorneys also mention CNN Amber Lyon's report which questions Craigslist's screening methods. A Craigslist representative told CNN that they agree with some of the letter and hope to work with the attorneys general to stop child and women trafficking.

CASA Volunteers Look Out for Abused, Neglected Children in Court

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By Margie Richards at MadisonJournalTODAY.com

CASA Northeast Georgia executive director Melissa Mitchell got a letter recently from a child she’d helped as a CASA volunteer a decade ago in Forsyth County. The girl, one of four siblings whose case she had worked, wrote to tell her that she’d just graduated from high school and was headed to North Georgia College. She wanted to thank Mitchell for her help all those years ago.  “Often times, the rewards of being a CASA volunteer are not immediate, but there are many rewards in helping these children,” Mitchell said. A CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) is a trained community volunteer who is appointed by a judge to advocate for the best interests of an abused or neglected child in juvenile court proceedings. The CASA volunteer’s job is to advocate for the child to be placed in a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible.

Sept. 1 Target Date for ABA “Collateral Consequences” Campaign Launch

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By Chandra R. Thomas

Many young people are ignorant of the penalties that they could face for breaking the law. American Bar Association (ABA) leaders, however, think that even fewer are aware of how those same penalties could affect their lives well after they’ve fulfilled their debt to society. The effects – everything from suspended voting rights and limited job opportunities to an inability to qualify for public housing or financial aid for school – are considered the collateral consequences of their actions. Well beyond the juvenile years, those repercussions may forever reverberate throughout the lives of convicted young people. In an effort to thwart them from committing crimes and to prevent those who do from accepting risky plea deals, next month the ABA is officially launching a national educational campaign.

12-Year-Old Gets Two Yrs. in Custody

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A 12-year-old boy plead guilty to robbing a pizza delivery man with an unloaded shotgun and has been sentenced to two years in state custody, according to a WSAV-TV report. For the full story, click here.