“California Invests in Education for Incarcerated Youth”
California’s youth justice system is undergoing significant reforms, with a focus on improving educational opportunities for young people in lockups. The recently signed state budget allocates funds to higher education initiatives and enhances oversight of juvenile court schools within youth detention facilities. While the investment is modest due to budget constraints, it represents a crucial […]
Solitary Confinement in Georgia’s Juvenile Justice System: A Damning Audit Reveals Alarming Inconsistencies
On Friday, July 7, a shocking report released by Georgia’s Department of Audits and Accounts shed light on the distressing issue of solitary confinement within the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The audit exposed glaring inconsistencies, highlighting how and for how long young individuals are subjected to isolation across various facilities. The findings, which […]
Youth Justice By The Numbers
Josh Rovner, the Director of Youth Justice, authored this briefing paper as part of the campaign titled “50 Years and a Wake Up: Ending The Mass Incarceration Crisis In America.” The campaign aims to shed light on the critical condition of the criminal legal system in the country, the detrimental effects of incarceration on communities […]
Western Australia: “The system is the real “terror” in youth justice”
“How can the West Australian Premier Mark McGowan get away with describing a group of kids with disabilities as “terrorists”? Especially when we know that many of them grew up in the care and under the control of his own State’s Child Protection system.” Recent reports have shed light on the dire conditions and mistreatment […]
Missouri: Project to Disrupt ‘School-to-Prison Pipeline’ Gets a Boost
“Missouri students of color with disabilities face harsher school disciplinary practices than their white peers, which can lead them into the juvenile justice system. Disrupting this path is the goal of the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association’s SToPP Project, with a $275,000 grant from the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council.” Miranda Fredrick, communications coordinator for the council explained, “When […]
A Look At Recent Research Shows That Youth Incarceration Continues To Fail Kids And Their Communities, While Negatively Impacting Public Safety
“Jurisdictions should invest in community-based alternatives to incarceration that improve outcomes for kids while also saving the government money — strategies like offering wraparound services, with focused, individualized care plans, to kids and their families. One such program, Wraparound Milwaukee, works with 1,000 young people with serious psychological needs, 40 percent of whom have been […]
“How Children End Up in Cleveland’s Adult Courts: A Bindover Explainer”
The Marshall Project: “Cuyahoga County transfers more children to adult court than any other county in the state. In the past decade, 94% were Black, according to state records. “When children are placed in adult facilities, they usually face very brutal conditions,” Leah Winsberg, an attorney with the Children’s Law Center, told the crowd. Winsberg […]
New “Standards for Health Services in Juvenile Detention and Confinement Facilities” Released
The National Commission on Correctional Health Care launched a Juvenile Standards Task Force, which included physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and mental health experts from around the nation. Corrections1 reports “the revised and updated standards are up-to-date with best practices and knowledge gained over last seven years.” “‘Not only does this revision reflect our current understanding […]
Alabama: AMI Kids equips youth & families to overcome barriers toward more positive future
Reporting from the Greenville Advocate: “According to regional director and licensed clinical social worker, Korah Skuce, since 2018, AMI has offered comprehensive services nationwide, from preventative to residential programs. AMI partners with the Alabama Department of Youth Services to offer family services like Functional Family Therapy (FFT), a nationally recognized, family- and community-based model designed […]
Medical Incarceration: A Minnesota teen struggling with severe mental illness and charged with numerous crimes sat in juvenile detention, often isolated.
This young person’s mental illness has led to many inadequate treatment and housing options, and extensive dual involvement in both the mental health system and juvenile justice system. This reporting explains why one young man, despite being deemed incompetent to serve trial by the court, chose to go to prison in an attempt to get […]