The state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would make correctional officers in juvenile prisons mandatory reporters for child abuse and neglect.

HOUSTON (KTRK) --

ABC13 Investigates has learned Harris County's Juvenile Probation Department recently transferred dozens of severely mentally ill juveniles from a psychiatric hospital to the downtown detention center. The move comes after the department canceled its contract with the Harris County Psychiatric Center on January 31.

A proposal to limit the discretionary power prosecutors wield in charging juveniles as adults in Florida has surfaced once again in the Legislature.

For several years, versions of a bill to change how minors end up in adult court have failed. But state Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, a co-sponsor of this year's SB 192, said he is optimistic the measure will move forward this time given the shift in valuing rehabilitation over punishment.

In juvenile court circles, the program is loosely referred to as the mental health docket. Its more formal title is IDD, which stands for Individualized Disposition Docket. Loosely modeled after a similar program in California, it has been a quiet collaboration between the court, Lighthouse Youth Services, Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board and Mental Health Access Point. Based on early successes, it expanded to include the Pretrial Diversion Docket (PDD) that seeks to catch kids earlier in the court system.

A Juvenile Justice Summit at the Washington Post recently brought together experts in the field to discuss how federal and state efforts — including a movement to end solitary confinement for youth — can improve the justice system for young people. The Annie E. Casey Foundation was the presenting sponsor, and news site Mic co-presented the summit.

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is requesting $5.2 million more in the upcoming state budget to to add 60 beds at its residential facilities. Some advocates say that money could be put to better use to help kids avoid residential facilities altogether.

Wisconsin is one of just a handful of states that has allowed its youngest prison inmates to be punished by placing them in solitary confinement for more than 10 days — a practice that is at the heart of a federal lawsuit filed this week.

And it’s in the minority nationally in not prohibiting punitive solitary confinement, which inmates at Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls have faced as punishment for serious misbehavior since the facility opened in 1970, according to a 2016 survey conducted by the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest.

Legislation to protect young people from establishing criminal records for petty theft, alcohol usage, vandalism, and other misdemeanor offenses is moving forward.

The Florida Senate Committee on Criminal Justice has given its nod to a bill that would require a law enforcement officer to make one of two choices when encountering a young person who has committed a misdemeanor offense for the first time: Issue a civil citation instead of an arrest; or require that the young person participate in a diversion program such as a conflict resolution class, teen court or community service.

The Utah Juvenile Justice Working Group submitted to state leaders a comprehensive set of data-driven policy recommendations designed to increase public safety, effectively hold juvenile offenders accountable, and focus juvenile justice system resources on youth who pose the greatest risk to public safety.

The group’s recommendations will be used as the foundation for statutory, budgetary, and administrative changes during the 2017 legislative session.

San Francisco city officials on Tuesday celebrated the official opening of a new recreation center for youth at Juvenile Hall.

The Merit Center, a pilot program that makes use of existing space at Juvenile Hall, will allow qualifying youth a chance to play foosball, ping pong and video games and participate in movie nights and other group activities, officials said.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) -- 10 On your Side's Don Roberts has worked months and months to get an unprecedented look inside the juvenile justice system in Hampton Roads -- with the stories from the underage offenders themselves.

Finally, the City of Newport News agreed, but only if we do not show their faces. Don had a candid conversation with the juveniles about how they got behind bars and how they plan to change everything when it's time to get out.

A task force still wrangling over recommendations on juvenile strip-searches and shackling policies.

Michigan State University scholar Francisco Villarruel was selected by President Obama to serve on the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.