The nation, yet again, is being dragged into Trump’s chaotic vision of how he wants to see his role in the country. Basically, he strives to be someone who is untouchable, commands armies of empty-minded followers and reaps profit…
This week is the official start of the 2020 presidential election campaign season. The historic, first-ever virtual political convention kicks off tonight with the Democrats hosting the 4-day Democratic National Convention. Televised in primetime on the major networks, the…
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Writing Raps Helps Reduce Recidivism in Youth of Color
By Margaret Goldman Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) While our nation’s steadily declining rates of juvenile incarceration are encouraging, widening racial disparities are a pressing call for concern. Racial disparities often begin in the school system and persist at…
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LA Blazing Path With Diversion Programs to Lessen Racial Bias for Youth of Color
By Paula and Larry Bitt Juvenile Justice Information Exchange All children make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes get them in trouble with the law. It happens in all kinds of families and in all kind of neighborhoods. But when…
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What Law Enforcement, Advocates Need to Know About Protecting Young Immigrants
By Nate Balis Juvenile Justice Information & Exchange It’s fair to say that most of us working in the youth justice field do so because we’re committed to brighter futures for all kids, especially the ones facing the longest…
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Sixty-nine percent youths on probation experience less recidivism in NY community mentoring program, report finds
By Clarissa Sosin Juvenile Justice Information Exchange NEW YORK — Youths on probation who participated in a community mentorship program run through the New York City Department of Probation had a lesser chance of recidivism than those who…
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Data shows Latino youth in detention centers drops 50 percent
LatinaLista — Sometimes there’s a good reason to send a kid to juvenile detention and sometimes there isn’t. A 16-year-old who decides to bring a gun to school and show everyone who’s boss is someone who deserves to be…
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Arts Seen As Crucial to Healing Youth, Changing the Juvenile Justice System
By Rachel Symons Juvenile Justice Information Exchange LOS ANGELES — For Jordan, growing up in Jamaica, Queens in New York City left much to be desired. One of the few places he could go after school were the youth…
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State Trends Show Fewer Young People Tried As Adults, New Report Says
By Bill Myers Juvenile Justice Information Exchange The number of young people locked into adult jails and prisons has plummeted nearly two-thirds since 2009 and the number automatically sent to adult courts for criminal trials has fallen by…
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Life Sentences, Long Sentences Imposed on Youth Need 2nd Look
By Ashley Nellis Juvenile Justice Information Exchange Decades of research from the fields of criminology and adolescent brain science find that the decisions made in youth — even very unwise decisions — do not crystallize criminality. Instead, as young…
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Should we put juveniles away for life? Meet the teen who sparked a debate
By Dan Birman The Conversation Inside the Juvenile Justice Center in Nashville, Tennessee is a steel door fitted with a high-security system. Push a button and the door unlocks, revealing another steel door with a slot for IDs. When…
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange From disproportionality to unfair gender bias to consent decrees to workforce development, legal professionals and youth workers reflect on what needs to be improved within juvenile justice at the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative 2017 convening….
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LA County Puts Thousands of Kids on ‘Voluntary’ Probation for Merely Struggling With School
By Sara Krevoy Juvenile Justice Information & Exchange The pool of Los Angeles County youngsters who wind up in voluntary probation are called “236 youth.” LOS ANGELES — Marbella Munoz was a foster child for most of her…
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LA’s Youth Probation Camps Have a Problem With Graduating Kids (But It’s Not What you Think)
By Madeline Ottilie Juvenile Justice Information & Exchange The Los Angeles County Office of Education boasts that scores of young people who were at risk of dropping out of high school get their high school diplomas or their GED…
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Young Adult Prison Movement Deepens Reliance on Incarceration, Shortchanges Reform
By Maureen Washburn Juvenile Justice Information Exchange There is growing interest nationwide in designating specialized prison space for young adults under age 25. Although these projects are often couched in the language of treatment and developmental differences, specialty facilities could…
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I Used to Love America: How a Racist Jail System Changed Me
By Christine Alegre Juvenile Justice Information Exchange I used to love America, I believed in the “American dream.” I am the child of Peruvian immigrants who came to America seeking a better life and who, for the most…
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Trump Administration Could Target Central American Teens
By Zach Williams Juvenile Justice Information Exchange NEW YORK — After 18 days on a bus to the Mexican city of Reynosa, five days walking through the desert to Texas and two months living in Long Island, the fate…
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California study finds trying youth as adults degrades health of juveniles, their families
By John Holland Juvenile Justice Information Exchange A wide-ranging study of youth incarceration in California outlines what it calls the debilitating effects on the health of teens, their families and society when youthful offenders are tried and sentenced as…
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Parole Boards Bar Young Offenders From Chance of Release, ACLU Report Says
By Sarah Barr Juvenile Justice Information & Exchange In the wake of Supreme Court decisions that have limited extreme sentences for juveniles, states are relying on parole boards to put those rulings into effect. But those boards operate with little…
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Next Administration Needs to Close Youth Prisons, Experts Say
By Sarah Barr Juvenile Justice Information Exchange WASHINGTON — The next presidential administration should build on the momentum researchers, advocates and policymakers have created to close youth prisons, experts say. They are hopeful a new report that lays out the case…
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Court Costs Can Push Kids Deeper Into Justice System, Report Says
By Sarah Barr Juvenile Justice Information Exchange Fines and fees imposed in juvenile court can drive youth deeper into the system and their families deeper into poverty, a new report says. Every state imposes monetary penalties or costs…
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Several States Look to Keep Teenagers Out of Criminal Court
By Sarah Barr Juvenile Justice Information & Exchange This year, several states have passed or are considering reforms that aim to reduce the number of teenagers charged in adult criminal court. Some of the most aggressive changes focus…
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Good News: Fewer kids being suspended from school. Bad News: Minority and disabled kids still targets for school suspensions
By Sarah Barr Juvenile Justice Information Exchange WASHINGTON — Out-of-school suspensions dropped 20 percent nationally in recent years, but students of color and students with disabilities are still more likely to face harsh discipline than their peers, according to…
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Racial, Ethnic Disparities Stubbornly Endure in Juvenile Justice System, Expert Says
By Daryl Khan Juvenile Justice Information Exchange BOSTON — The video should not have come as a shock to this audience. If anyone is sensitive to the subject matter — how race and racial bias subtly and expressly…
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Educators Rethink Discipline, Learn New Moves to Dismantle School-to-Prison Pipeline
By Stell Simonton JJIE ATLANTA — When communities want to snip the school-to-prison pipeline, how do they do it? They revise their code of conduct, redefine the role of school police, address bias, build a positive school climate…