Recovery schools offer kids support

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Teens trying to stay clean from drugs and alcohol may do better by going to a Recovery High School. There are more than 30 of these specialized schools across the United States. Fewer than 20% of students who have gone through drug treatment programs remain sober once they return home, according to the Association of Recovery Schools. A blog from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation called reclaimingfutures.org explains that the 23 year old program combines education and support.  The program allows students in recovery to get course credit towards a high school diploma or a college degree.

Helping teens with mental illness

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A growing number of states are looking for ways to assess and treat the mental health problems of children in the juvenile justice system.  The newest report comes from the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice at the Berkeley School of Law in California.  An estimated 40 to 70 percent of teens in California’s juvenile justice system have mental health disorders and the numbers are rising.  Researchers recommend some practical strategies:

Better definitions of mental health problems linking diagnosis with treatment options across the system
Proven screening and assessment tools
Outcome-based treatment programs

Supreme Court bans life without parole

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The Supreme Court decision to ban life without parole for children in all cases except murder affects 37 states with laws on the books, including Georgia.  But it does not appear that any Georgia inmates are candidates for release at this time. The ruling reversed a life without parole sentence for  Terrance Graham, a Florida man who was 17 when he committed a home invasion robbery, just six months after another robbery. As the Miami Herald reports, the high court agreed he belongs in prison, but said, “it does not follow that he would be a risk to society for the rest of his life.''

An analysis in the Christian Science Monitor cites studies showing young people are less able to assess risk, control impulses, and process consequences.  Justice Kennedy wrote that they are also more capable of change.  Cutting off that possibility amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, violating the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment. Seven states already ban life without parole for juveniles.  Eleven more statesare considering similar laws.