Experts Say New Federal Rule Brings Hope for LGBTQ Youth in Custody

By |

Given the high rate of torment suffered by LGBT youth in custody, activists applauded last week’s finalizing of a landmark law that took nine years to get from adoption to implementation. Last Monday, the federal Department of Justice finalized a set of guidelines under the Prison Rape Elimination Act that could help stem the risks of the already at-risk LGBT population that is incarcerated, including minors. “We were already working on this issue while PREA was being passed, but this raises awareness,” said Sarah Schriber, senior policy analyst with the Chicago-based Health and Medicine Policy Research group and community convener for the Illinois Court Involved LGBTQ Youth Task Force. According to Schriber, few juvenile detention center personnel even knew what the existing anti-harassment rules were. “A much harder part is making those policies meaningful on the ground,” she said.

Snapshots From the Inside, A Powerful Photo Exhibit Explores the Cruelty of Juvenile and Adult Detention

By |

NEW YORK -- As Ara Oshagan rocked his first-born son to sleep he prepared to meet monsters. While he bounced and cooed his boy, Sebouh, to sleep to the achingly plaintive melody of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata he was the image of a doting father, but in his mind he was quietly bracing himself to meet some of what many considered to be California’s youngest and most dangerous criminals. The geo-physicist turned documentary photographer had never been behind the walls of the juvenile detention facilities that dot the outskirts of Los Angeles along the spine of Interstate 5 in the Central Valley, but the following morning he was going to take his camera, walk in, and take pictures of killers and gangsters. “I expected the worst,” he said. “The worst of the worst; The ones glaring at you in those orange jumpsuits.

New Child Labor Laws Could Hurt Small Farms, Advocates Say

By |

Local farm advocates in Iowa are concerned a new set of child-labor laws would inadvertently restrict the number of future farmers and place unnecessary restrictions on family farms.

According to The Daily Iowan, the U.S. Department of Labor proposed a new set of rules in 2011 that prohibit children under the age of 16 from working in manure pits or with certain animals unless their parents completely own the farm. However, many smaller farms in Iowa are multigenerational, Russ Meade, president of the Johnson County Farm Bureau told The Iowan. "We have a diverse makeup of smaller farms that rely heavily on extended family involvement," Meade said. "[The regulations] would significantly restrict kids' ability to participate." Iowa farmer Kurt Dallmeyer said the rules could impact the number of children interested in farming, putting local farms at risk in the future and increasing the trend of factory farms in the state.

YOUTH GARDEN GRANTS

Down And Dirty: Gardening Grants

By |

The Youth Garden Grant Program (YGGP), supported by The Home Depot Garden Club, will award more than $50,000 in home depot gift cards for youth-oriented gardening programs before year’s end. Five grantees will receive $1,000 gift cards, and 95 others will get $500 cards. Most non-profits, community and education organizations may apply. Applicants must plan to with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 in the coming year. While this specific grant is for the 2011 year, YGGP offers a new round of grants each year.

May 20, 2011

By |

READ UP:

Australian Import "Planking" Surges in Popularity: But Why? The Straight Dope on Fake Dope

Conference Explores Adolescent Brain Development

Host: Ryan Schill
Video: Clay Duda

Juvenile Justice | Week in Review | April 8, 2011

April 8, 2011

By |

Read up:

FBI Probing Possible Civil Rights Violation of Teen:
http://bit.ly/Amerson

New Comcast 'On Demand' Show Seeks To Find Missing Children:
http://bit.ly/comcastkids

Juvenile Justice Journeys (series launching Monday, April 18):
http://bit.ly/JJjourneys

- - -

Host:
Ryan Schill, JJIE Reporter

Multimedia team:
Clay Duda, Social Media Strategist

A Sad Tale of Sexting

By |

See this story in Sunday's New York Times of 14-year-old Margarite's mistake in 2010 that led to her own humiliation and altered the lives of so many around her.

Update: More Charges Filed in Wreck that Killed Teen

By |

Four adults have now been charged with supplying teens with alcohol ahead of a fatal car accident on Feb. 19 in Douglas County, according to the Sheriff’s Office. One of the adults charged is the county’s chief code enforcement officer, Todd McAllister. McAllister’s home was the site of one of two parties the teens attended the evening of the wreck. Another charged was Rocky Patel, a local story owner who allegedly sold alcohol to the teens.

UPDATE: More Charges in Douglas County DUI Wreck That Killed Teen

By |

A fifth passenger has been identified and charged in the auto accident that killed a Douglas County, Ga., teen Feb. 19.  Dustin Lee Willis, 21, has been charged with four counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and being party to a crime (vehicular homicide), according to the Douglas County Sentinel.  Willis and the 17-year-old driver of the wrecked vehicle, Jason Lark, were also charged with evidence tampering after allegedly removing empty beer bottles from the vehicle. The passengers were travelling from a bonfire party at a home in Douglasville.  The homeowner, Richard Todd McAllister, 42, was also charged with five counts of contributing to the delinquency of minors.  Police say McAllister was at the party and aware that minors were consuming alcohol. Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Sauls was killed in the accident that left two other teens injured.  Sauls’ funeral was held Friday.

Augusta-area Teen Accused of Fatally Shooting Friend

By |

An Augusta-area 14-year-old is accused of shooting his neighbor and hiding her body in the woods. Police say the boy, Lacy Aaron Schmidt, shot Alana Callahan, also 14, in the head and neck while she sat at her home computer on January 31. According to the Augusta-Chronicle, Schmidt first said Alana was killed by an intruder before saying he shot her accidently. Police say Alana was killed by a 9 mm handgun, the same kind owned by her father. Authorities later found the gun hidden in Schmidt’s home.