Author Daniel Kahneman in “Thinking, Fast and Slow” explains how two modes in our brains make decisions. One is fast/hot, an instinctive and emotional process often fueled by anger, fear or a survival response. The other is the slow/cool system, characterized by a calm and more conscious state of mind that is rational, thoughtful, deliberate and capable of making complex decisions. Both modes have their virtues and vices, depending on the circumstances in which a decision is being made.

Michigan’s responses to the death of Cornelius Frederick, a teen who was killed while being restrained by staff at a residential care facility with a history of licensing violations, were fast/hot ones. The state’s child welfare director, JooYeun Chang, sat by the teen’s bedside at the hospital so he wouldn’t die alone. Soon after Frederick passed, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) issued two executive actions specifically stemming from the incident.

In my opinion, those executive actions represent the upside and downside of fast/hot thinking.

Non-profit group The Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) on Thursday (December 19) released a report exposing failures in the juvenile justice system that mirror ones found in the adult system.

A majority of people experiencing homelessness across the world have a history of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries, according to new research out this week. And often, these injuries could have contributed to or been caused by their homelessness, the authors say.

In Youth First’s new brief, Racial Justice at the Core: Profiles of the Virginia & New Jersey campaigns to abolish youth prisons through a racial justice lens, Carmen Daugherty, Youth First's Policy Director; Valerie Slater, Executive Director of RISE for Youth; and Retha Onitiri, Campaign Director of the 150 Years Is Enough Campaign in New Jersey highlight strategies undertaken by the Virginia and New Jersey state campaigns to place racial justice at the center of the efforts to end youth incarceration.

Young people in the U.S. who end up in the juvenile justice system often leave the system much worse than when they entered.

But American youth know little to nothing about the juvenile justice system that would determine their future if they were ever accused of committing a crime.

More than 2 million people are currently imprisoned in the U.S. Although the country has just 4% of the world's population, it accounts for a quarter of the world's prison population.

So, how did the country get to this place? People point to different pieces of legislation as the main cause for mass incarceration. But researcher Reggie Jackson says it's the result of a complex web of laws and policy decisions that created this issue.

Over two dozen youth leaders, many of whom are directly impacted by the youth justice system, have released their ideas for putting juvenile justice dollars toward the creation of a robust continuum of care in communities of color.

You can now read and share the recommendations of these youth leaders with A United Vision for a World Without Youth Prisons, a report from The Youth First Initiative and Cities United, highlighting nine actionable strategies for how cities should reinvest the millions of taxpayer dollars spent each year locking up young people.

This issue brief identifies eight principles that every juvenile justice system should embrace to transform care for youth in custody. These principles are designed to help all youth realize their potential — regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, neighborhood or personal history.

Drawing on first-of-its-kind survey data collected from all 50 states in partnership with the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, this new brief from The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the National Reentry Resource Center establishes an unprecedented baseline for understanding how juvenile correctional agencies are preparing youth for employment.

When a person commits suicide, family members are often left wondering how they could have saved their loved one’s life. 

Because suicide is often treated as taboo, there’s a misunderstanding of who is at risk and how to save lives, said Judith Harrington, a counselor and associate professor at the University of Montevallo. But signs of suicide can also be subtle and easy to miss, even in close relationships.

Racism hurts children, in real and fundamental ways. It hurts not just their health, but their chances for a good, successful life.

Research over the past few years has shown that students in the juvenile justice system have less access to secondary math courses than their peers in traditional schools. Now, a new report from Bellwether Education Partners finds that these gaps in course options are bigger for Native American students.

Young adults with a childhood history of both personal involvement in the juvenile justice system as well as a parent in jail are nearly three times more likely to have depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to peers without any such experience. They are also nearly twice as likely to have anxiety compared to young adults without childhood exposure to the criminal justice system, says a new study.

GIBSONVILLE — North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley led a press conference via Facebook Live last week announcing the rollout of the School Justice Partnership’s (SJP) Toolkit.