By Sarah Barr JJIE States that want to improve the lives of young adults in the justice system face a tough task because of limited evidence about how to do so. But, states still should begin piecing together a…
By Sarah Barr JJIE When juvenile justice leaders gathered in Texas earlier this month, policymakers from the Council of State Governments greeted them with some good news and some troubling news. First, the good news: Between 1997 and 2013,…
LatinaLista — Campaign: Justice for all children The Colorado Juvenile Defender Center (CJDC) advocates for the decriminalization of children and second chances for kids because they believe in youth! CJDC is a recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring excellence in juvenile…
By Karen Savage JJIE NEW YORK — She was 11 and in the sixth grade when she went to jail, eventually landing in solitary confinement. Nicole never imagined a petty fight at her Louisiana middle school would lead…
By Claire Bohrer Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) An experiment in journalism storytelling debuts today with the public release of the virtual world machinima “The Kid, The Cop, The Punch.” The story is narrated by Xavier McElrath-Bey,…
By Maryam Adamu and Lauren Hogan LatinaLista The term “school-to-prison pipeline” has become a powerful metaphor to capture the processes by which children—typically low-income children of color—are pushed out of school and into the criminal justice system. While…
By Sarah Barr Juvenile Justice Information Exchange Juvenile justice reformers risk leaving girls behind if they fail to consider how traumatic experiences push girls into the system, says a new report. Officials and advocates are more aware than…
LatinaLista — The term “natural life” refers to those sentenced to life without parole. It is a merciless sentence reserved for those criminals whose crimes were ruled as the most heinous acts committed against their fellow man. The natural…
LatinaLista — The one stereotype about Latinos that is true to the core is how family members care for one another. There’s no greater example of that truth than in the film Strike One. According to the film’s website,…
LatinaLista — Immigration isn’t the only issue on the list in need of reform. Over the last few years, a growing call to reform the criminal justice system has sounded through the nation as more instances of unarmed people…
By Matt Smith Juvenile Justice Information Exchange One of the leading voices in juvenile justice has turned on juvenile hall. The Annie E. Casey Foundation is throwing its weight into a campaign to close juvenile detention centers nationwide, calling…
By Niema Jordan LatinaLista (Editor’s Note: This story was produced and was originally published by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.) Last year, reporters Trey Bundy and Daffodil Altan provided a window inside a space rarely seen by…
By Susan Ferriss Juvenile Justice Information Exchange Did a foster-care teen need to be arrested by school police this month for alleged battery on a school bus? And then jailed for more than two weeks with adults long after…
LatinaLista — William Lopez had a rough childhood. “Had” is the operative word. Pleading to manslaughter at the age of 18, Lopez spent more than 15 years in the juvenile and adult prison system. While he was locked up,…
By Gary Gately Juvenile Justice Information Exchange A pilot program in Wayne County, Mich., provides police training on how to recognize and respond to mental health and substance abuse problems with youth and to refer them to community-based programs…
LatinaLista — This weekend in Washington DC, educators, school administrators, community activists, law enforcement and students from across the country are getting together for the first-ever national conference to talk about what can be done to stop funneling so…
By Tracy Velázquez The Chronicle of Social Change The traditional view in the United States – which is codified in law – is that youths become adults when they turn 18. But the reality is that many young adults…
LatinaLista — There’s a saying that says “You do the crime, you do the time.” For thousands of teens and young adults who make one stupid mistake in their lives, or even a series of petty, irresponsible mistakes, they…
LatinaLista — Today, the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, headed by Sen. Durbin, held a hearing on ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline. The School-to-Prison Pipeline is a concept where zero tolerance…
Since first learning a couple of years ago about Efren Paredes and the sad way the justice system of 20 years ago failed a young Latino Honors student, and how the current system is only perpetuating the wrongs committed…
