New Child Welfare Law Specialists

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Move over Atticus Finch, there’s a new kind of lawyer in town: The Child Welfare Law Specialist. Georgia now has 17 of these specialized attorneys, certified by the National Association of Counsel for Children. They are uniquely qualified to represent children, parents and state welfare agencies in abuse, neglect and dependency cases:

Jamie Averett
Patricia Buonodono
Darice Good
Diana Johnson
Mary McCord
Kimberly Mullins
Temika Murry
Anissa Patton
Jennifer Satija
LaMia Saxby
Brooke Silverthorn
Jamie Smith
Leslie Stewart
Marie Watson
Suzanne Whitaker
Ashley Willcott
Rosalind Zollicoffer

Specialists must pass a written exam on child welfare law, and prove their knowledge through peer review, education and writing.  The Child Welfare legal specialty is recognized by the American Bar Association, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau, The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and other groups

If you know someone who might qualify, check out the application.  The next application deadline is August 15, 2010

Atlanta Teens Fight Crime

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Crime victims and former gamg members came together at Atlanta City Hall this week to celebrate the group called  Zone Safety Atlanta.  It’s a peer mentoring program that introduces teens to good citizenship and practical skills.  One of the founders calls it “Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts meet urban America. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on this program, which began during a crime wave in 2002.  Zone Safety Atlanta is credited with reducing recidivism by 60% and violence in schools by 80% among young people and gang members who participate.

Kid Lifers Test Supreme Court Ruling

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Appeals are starting to roll in on behalf of convicts sentenced as teenagers to life without parole. Some will try to test the intent of the Supreme Court decision from May. There are more than 2,000 juvenile lifers across the nation, and 90 percent were convicted of homicide, so on the surface the high court ruling would not apply to them.  But advocates are focused on the majority opinion. which argues adolescent brains are not fully developed and, therefore, they have limited responsibility for their criminal actions. So far, five juvenile lifers convicted in homicide cases have filed appeals in Pennsylania.

Playing Football Without a Helmet

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Working with kids in juvenile court is fast moving, intimate and direct...a lot like playing football without a helmet. That insight comes from  retired juvenile court prosecutor Elisabeth MacNamara.  This former ADA in DeKalb County, Georgia says the courts need more programs to help families and children in crisis. MacNamara spent four years supervising  prosecutors  in juvenile court,  and 20 years in Superior Court. She retired last May to become the President of the League of Women Voters of the United States.  She shares some candid and surprising views about the juvenile justice system.

Hall Co.Targets At-Risk Kids

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A multi-agency program focused on reading, self esteem and leadership skills for high school students is in the works in Hall County.  Juvenile Court, the Local Interagency Planning Team and the Family Connection Network are working with community groups to create the Hall System of Care. The free program will target juvenile offenders, truants, teen parents, foster children and other kids considered at-risk.  Funding is coming from a $94,317 grant from the Governor’s Office for Children and Families. Read more here.

Child Prostitutes: Criminals or Victims?

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SB 304, the bill to treat child prostitutes as victims rather than criminals, may have failed in the last session, but supporters have vowed to revive it. The new campaign is apparently underway. 

The latest round comes from Jonathan Todres, a law professor at Georgia State and advisor to ECPAT-USA (End Chld Prostitution and Trafficking).  He writes about a ruling by the Texas Supreme Court, involving a 13 year old caught with her 32 year old boyfriend and arrested for prostitution. The court said a child under the age of consent cannot be criminally charged with prostitution. Professor Todres argues that child prostitutes should be treated as victims of exploitation not as criminals, and they need help. Read his new opinion in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There is no indication that conservative Christian groups have changed their position opposing this plan. As Dale Austin from Concerned Women for America of Georgia argued last Spring, they believe it would decriminalize prostitution, create a friendly environment for pimps and traffickers, and remove all discretion by juvenile court judges on how to handle child prostitutes.

Atlanta’s War on Child Prostitution

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Atlanta’s battle against child prostitution and sex trafficking is getting national attention, and so is the broad coalition of groups that are fighting the problem. The campaign called A Future Not a Past, which studies commercial sex exploitation of girls in Georgia, is winning funds and converts across the nation. Sojourners Magazine reports The Women’s Funding Network is modeling similar campaigns in Michigan, Minnesota and New York. Writer Letitia Campbell takes us through the history of the movement and what’s next in the battle.

New Rules: Isolation, Handcuffs, Hogties

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Schools cannot put children in seclusion rooms as a form of punishment anymore, and must limit the use of physical and chemical restraints. The State Board of Education approved new rules Thursday for handcuffing children, controlling them with prone restraint tactics, and giving them prescription drugs to control their behavior. These measures are now limited to situations where students are an immediate danger to themselves or others, or when calming techniques don’t work. Parents of 13-year old Jonathon King of Gainesville pushed for changes after their son hanged himself in a seclusion room in 2004. Jonathan was a student in the Alpine Program, a public school in Gainesville, Ga.

School Sued for Handcuffing Child

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A first grader in New Orleans is the new poster child for excessive school discipline.  The boy, identified as J.W., was arrested, handcuffed and allegedly shackled to a desk by school police after arguing with another child over a seat in the lunchroom.   The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a class action lawsuit Thursday in Federal Court, claiming the arrest for a minor violation of school rules is unlawful and a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.   Read the complaint here. The complaint names the elementary school principal, school superintendent and security director, and was filed on behalf of all children in the school.  SPLC Attorney Thena Robinson says, "We’re hopeful this [lawsuit] will send a powerful message. We have to treat kids with dignity.  There are ways to keep kids safe and treat them with dignity." The boy’s father, Sebastian Weston, says his son was treated like an animal is now terrified of school.   Watch his statement in this video from WWL-TV

A spokesman for the Recovery School District confirms the incident happened May 6, and two security officers were fired, but would not comment further.

Rural GA schools still spanking

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More than 28,500 students were spanked as a form of discipline in Georgia public schools last year. The latest annual report is out from the Georgia Department of Education called Counts of Discipline Actions. It reveals that corporal punishment was more prevalent in rural counties and in the southern parts of the state. Laurens County led the state with more than 2,400 students who got paddled. Randolph County was second, with almost 1600 students getting corporal punishment in 2009.