MJDA

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) - Get to troubled kids early and don't lose them in the criminal system. Those are among the final recommendations released late this week from a Tennessee juvenile justice task force.

Dec 11

Dec 11 With Juvenile Jail Closing, State's Most Troubled Children Will Be In Limbo For Months

The high-security Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown, a flash-point for controversy since it was built by the Rowland administration, is finally closing, and the responsibility for kids who are deemed by the court to be juvenile delinquents will shift from DCF to the Judicial Branch.

Nov 29

Nov 29 Working to Reduce the Use of Secure Confinement

National News, Research Topics

This report encompasses recommendations intended to provide a starting point for reducing reliance on the use of secure confinement in King County. Some recommendations are aimed at enhancing detention programs and the behavioral techniques of detention staff in managing youth.

Nov 27

Nov 27 Who is Cyntoia Brown? Celebrities rally behind teen sentenced to life in prison

It's been 13 years since Cyntoia Brown was sentenced — at the age of 16 — to life in prison for the killing of a man who had picked her up for sex. But this week, thanks the power of celebrities on social media, the case rose to national attention again, and Brown's lawyer said she was "shocked" at the renewed interest.

Nov 22

Nov 22 County taking on new initiative to divert delinquents from incarceration

ASHTABULA, OH — The county Juvenile Court in Ashtabula now has a new destination for low-risk delinquents, aside from a police station or the Youth Detention Center.

Nov 22

Nov 22 Making juvenile justice a matter of public health

Executive signs order to examine approaches to keeping youth out of jail

Nov 22

Nov 22 Editorial: Causes of our foster care crisis in Kansas

Ideas and Opinions, National News

It’s essential to figure out why there are so many more children in the system

Sep 5

Sep 5 Is it now inevitable that all states will raise the age?

Ideas and Opinions, Juvenile Justice News, National News

This year, legislators in both New York and North Carolina took great steps towards improving public safety and providing meaningful rehabilitative services to young people across their states. Elected leaders in both of these states raised the age at which youth will be handled in family court, joining the growing national consensus that youth under 18 years of age should not be in the adult criminal justice system.

Aug 29

Aug 29 Rhonda Berry to lead county's zero juvenile detention efforts

Deputy executive steps up to look at reaching goal of keeping youth out of jail

Aug 28

Aug 28 Paying former gang members to go to college? This program does — and it seems to be working.

Ideas and Opinions, Juvenile Justice News, National News

Who would pay former gang members to help them go to college? A program in Dorchester, a neighborhood in Boston, is doing just that — and for some of its students, it seems to be working.

Aug 28

Aug 28 For juvenile offenders, art can be an outlet

Juvenile Justice News, Ideas and Opinions, National News

PEORIA — Unusually long and wide, the main hallway at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center would be intimidating if there weren’t the giant frog at one end.

The frog sits on a lily pad in a placid blue pond surrounded by cattails and a perfect summer sky, offering respite in a very serious setting. Between the vibrant color, the charming kid-friendly illustration, and the wonders of the natural world, the scene is a pleasant oasis for both the center’s young residents and the adults who work there.

Aug 25

Aug 25 New landmark reform law will give youth a chance to erase past mistakes and protect public safety

CHICAGO, Aug. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Landmark juvenile justice reform legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Bruce Rauner will clear roadblocks to success for tens of thousands of Illinoisans whose youthful mistakes have restricted access to education, jobs, and housing.

Aug 25

Aug 25 NOPD can now warn juveniles instead of arresting them

Juveniles accused of minor offenses in New Orleans will get written warnings or summons to appear in court rather than be arrested and taken to a detention facility, under an ordinance the City Council unanimously approved Thursday (Aug. 24).

Aug 23

Aug 23 Rapper Common Lobbies Legislators On Juvenile Justice Measures

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Oscar- and Grammy-award-winning rapper “Common” was on a tight schedule Tuesday, in an uncommon setting—the state Capitol.

Aug 16

Aug 16 "No arrest, no record," changes made to Florida juvenile cases

State Attorney Aramis Ayala is making changes to cases involving juveniles.

Aug 16

Aug 16 Sentenced To Adulthood: Direct File Laws Bypass Juvenile Justice System

Orange County, Fla., leads the state in juvenile arrests, according to data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The majority of those arrests are felonies charged to black boys. In this five-part series, 90.7 WMFE reporter Renata Sago (@renatasago) documents Orange County's complex system for handling kids who commit crimes. The stories are told through the lens of three black men who were charged with felonies as children.

Aug 1

Aug 1 THE LATEST DANGEROUS DRUG TREND DOESN’T ACTUALLY EXIST

Naloxone is a drug that reverses opioid overdoses, bringing a heroin user back from the brink of death. Known by the brand names Narcan or Evzio, this meek little opiate antagonist resuscitated approximately 27,000 people in the United States between 1996 and 2014.

Jul 31

Jul 31 ‘Millennial Bill’ Could Help At-Risk Youth Secure Jobs

WASHINGTON — Taj Jackson dreamed of college after graduating from a Maryland high school in 2014, but didn’t think his family—headed by a single mother who worked multiple jobs—could afford it.

Jul 25

Jul 25 Civil Rights Groups In New Jersey Say ‘Youth Prisons Are a New Form of Slavery’ and Should Be Abolished