A Texas judge known for sending kids to juvenile detention released a group of juvenile defendants who appeared before him Wednesday, in an unusual move that came less than a day after losing his bid for re-election, according to local media reports. At least four of the minors faced serious charges.

The city of Philadelphia has won a $1 million award to support its proposal for a juvenile center designed to avoid re-traumatizing children who abruptly enter the justice system.

CLEVELAND - Cuyahoga County has agreed to pay nearly $180,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by four former juvenile detention inmates who claimed guards forced them to fight for their own entertainment.

Despite progress in recent years, Arkansas' youth justice system is still rife with problems, a new report shows -- namely, keeping kids locked up too long, even for misdemeanors; poor oversight; a lack of use-of-force training for officers; and insufficient data-keeping that prevents the best use of resources.