Juvenile Justice / Public News Service

HUD's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program will support a wide range of efforts to house young people. (Roman Bodnarchuk/Adobe Stock)

Monday, November 29, 2021

HUD Grant to Help OR Fight Youth Homelessness

SALEM, Ore. - Funds from the federal government are helping communities, including two in Oregon, tackle youth homelessness. The U.S. Department of …

Young people who are transitioning out of foster care could be spending the holidays without a support system. (Brian/Adobe Stock)

Monday, November 29, 2021

Aging Out of Foster Care System Presents Challenges for MT Youth

MISSOULA, Mont. - Young people who age out of the foster care program face unique challenges. Those challenges can feel especially acute and …

One survey found nearly 30% of Washington state young people who were in foster care had a child by age 21. (yufan sun-EyeEm/Adobe Stock)

Monday, November 29, 2021

Housing, Other Challenges Face WA Youth After Foster Care

SEATTLE - The holidays can be a tough time for young people who have aged out of the foster-care system. For young Washingtonians, housing is an …

Ivy Smith, who was part of the foster care system, recieved her undergraduate degree from Boise State University in 2020. (Ivy Smith)

Struggles of Aging-Out Foster Youth in Focus as Holidays Approach

BOISE, Idaho - The holidays can be a hard time for foster care youth, especially young people who have recently aged out of the system. Ivy Smith…

Black youths are disproportionately impacted by the lack of a minimum age for criminal responsibility in Illinois; 60% to 62% of kids age 10 to 13 who are arrested are Black. (md3d/Adobe Stock)

IL Experts Join World Congress on Justice with Children

CHICAGO -- At this week's World Congress on Justice with Children, Illinois experts and researchers shared ways the U.S. could work to get back in …

Between 2010 and 2019, felony arrests of people younger than 18 were down 53%, according to The Sentencing Project. (Adobe Stock)

Youthful-Offender Status Reform Gives New Yorkers a Chance at a Clean Slate

NEW YORK -- This month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law advocates said gives young people who were caught up in the criminal-…

Between two and four years after aging out of foster care, 46% of young people had not finished high school, 51% were unemployed and 84% became parents. (Adobe Stock)

Resources for Foster Youths During Holidays

OMAHA, Neb. -- Some 24,000 teenagers in foster care across the nation officially become adults each year; in Nebraska it happens on their 19th …

Students often face delays in getting their academic records transferred to their new school, which can lead to delays in re-enrollment. (Adobe Stock)

Bill Would Address Barriers to Graduation for Some PA Kids

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A bill making its way through the Pennsylvania General Assembly would help ensure a smooth transition to graduation for young …

On Nov. 10, Dawn Blagrove of Emancipate NC presented oral arguments to North Carolina Supreme Court Justices about the racial justice consequences of life-without-parole sentencing in juvenile cases. (Supreme Court of North Carolina)

NC Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Juvenile Life-without-Parole

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The North Carolina Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week on the racial disparities involved in sentencing kids under 18 to …

Maryland is one of 12 states where more than half the prison population is African American, according to a new report. (Adobe stock)

Report: MD Has U.S.'s Largest Rate of Black Prison Population

BALTIMORE -- Maryland has the highest incarceration rate for African Americans in the nation, according to a recent report. Ashley Nellis, senior …

A 2017 report found staff at Long Creek were using dangerous force, and reports in September 2021 indicate those practices have continued. (Maine Youth Justice)

Young Mainers Call for Closure of Long Creek Detention Facility

PORTLAND, Maine -- A youth group advocating for keeping young people in their communities is calling on the Mills administration to close the Long …

Just four of 19 Nebraska law-enforcement agencies surveyed do not currently employ a multilingual officer. (Adobe Stock)

Nebraska Law Enforcement Behind on Language Accessibility

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Not one law-enforcement agency in Nebraska is meeting all U.S. Department of Justice guidance and best practices on how to provide …

Wyoming consistently has ranked among states with the highest youth confinement rates in the nation. (Adobe Stock)

Report: COVID Funds Could Help Close School-to-Prison Pipeline

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Federal school funding in response to the global pandemic, totaling nearly $190 billion, could help districts in Wyoming and across …

The Worcester city manager has announced school resource officers will be removed by the end of the year, following Easthampton's example from earlier this year. (Jazmine/Adobe Stock)

Report: More Student Support Needed to End School-to-Prison Pipeline

BOSTON -- With the new school year in full swing, a new report from the Sentencing Project outlines key steps Massachusetts and other states could …

Two Washington state school districts removed police officers from campuses last year. (Chalabala/Adobe Stock)

Report: Use COVID Relief Funds to Stop School-to-Prison Pipeline

SEATTLE - Billions of federal stimulus dollars are heading to schools across the country. A report says states should use some of these funds to …

More than a dozen school districts across California have begun to reassess their school resource officer programs, in an effort to limit the number of students entering the justice system. (Simone/Adobestock).

Calls to Reconsider Police in Schools After Teen Shot by Officer Likely to Die

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Mona Rodriguez, the teen mom shot by a school resource officer in Long Beach, is brain dead and is expected to be taken off life …

New Hampshire's Lebanon School District, facing pressure to do away with its school resource officer position, has decided to keep it for now while an outside firm studies equity and race issues in the city's schools. (Michael Ireland/Adobe Stock)

Report: Fund Counselors, Mental-Health Support, Not Police in Schools

CONCORD, N.H. -- With the new school year in full swing, a new report from The Sentencing Project outlines key steps New Hampshire and other states …

Resource officers in schools have not been shown to protect students against school shootings, according to The Sentencing Project report. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Rescue Plan Could Help OH Schools End Retributive Justice

CINCINNATI -- Ohio has received more than $4 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to go toward education, and a recent report from The Sentencing …

An estimated 25,000 Pennsylvania children were in the foster-care system in 2019, according to data from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. (Adobe Stock)

With Federal Support, PA Focuses on Keeping Kids Out of Foster Care

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania implements a new, evidence-based prevention plan on Friday, to help kids at risk of out-of-home placement stay with …

Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools has changed School Resource Officers into 'Community Engagement Officers' this year. They're now located offsite, with no direct communications with school officials. (Wikimedia Commons)<br /> — Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools has changed School Resource Officers into 'Community Engagement Officers' this year. They're now located offsite, with no direct communications with school officials. (Wikimedia Commons)

Report Shows Benefits of Funding Alternatives to Police in Schools

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Maryland's largest school district removed police officers from the hallways this fall, for the first time in 19 years, and a new …

North Carolina's Senate Bill 300 also creates a felony charge for resisting police, if it results in physical injuries to the officer involved. (Adobe Stock)

ACLU: NC's Criminal-Justice Reform Package Doesn't Go Far Enough

RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed sweeping criminal-justice reform into law this month that is meant to hold police more …

Public schools need to minimize arrests at schools by using emergency mental-health teams instead of police officers to address behavioral incidents at school, according to a Sentencing Project report. (Adobe stock)

Report: Invest COVID Funds to Close School-to-Prison Pipeline

ARLINGTON, Va. -- As a Northern Virginia school system transitions away from using police officers in schools, a new report suggests COVID stimulus …

Violence and maltreatment remain widespread in juvenile corrections and detention facilities nationwide, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. (johnhain/Pixabay)

Debate Over Youth Prison Sentences Continues in New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. -- A New Mexico legislator is optimistic a bill will pass in the 2022 session to prohibit life sentences for juveniles convicted of …

In the 2019-2020 school year, Indiana schools reported more than 171,000 "safety and disciplinary incidents." Only 173 were referred to law enforcement. (Ron Alvey/Adobe Stock)

Community Advocates Urge End to Police Presence in IN Schools

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As students across Indiana begin the new school year, some communities are reevaluating the need for police officers in schools…

To address racial disparities in youth detention, The Sentencing Project report recommends state and local governments invest in community programs that address social inequities. (Adobe Stock)

PA Cuts Youth Justice Racial Disparities; Still Above U.S. Detention Average

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Despite youth incarceration rates falling nationwide in the last few years, major racial disparities remain for kids in …

Juvenile justice has its origins in the adult criminal-justice system, and can create similar racial injustices. (yos.org)

Texas Juvenile-Justice Racial Gap Improves, But Slowly

AUSTIN, Texas -- When kids get in trouble with the law, it is far more likely they'll be incarcerated if they're Black or brown, and that has created …

The disparity between Black and white youths in juvenile facilitied dropped by 13% between 2015 and 2019. (zimmytws/Adobe Stock)

Racial Gap Narrows for Incarcerated OR Youth, But Work Remains

SALEM, Ore. - Young people of color are locked up at disproportionately high rates compared with their white peers, despite recent signs the gap is …

Nevada is seeing multiple efforts to reduce racial disparities among kids who are arrested or incarcerated, and a new report says it's working. (Connie Mills/Youth Villages)

NV Makes Progress Reducing Racial Disparities for Youth Behind Bars

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Nevada is closing the racial gap among young people behind bars, according to a new report from The Sentencing Project. The …

Juvenile justice experts say the best response to common teenage misbehavior like smoking marijuana, petty theft or vandalism is counseling, not an arrest. (JDAI/AZ)

Racial Gap Among CA Youth Behind Bars Improves, But Remains High

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Despite decades of juvenile justice reforms, California is still incarcerating kids of color much more often than their white …

A new report says Black youths are more likely to be in custody than their white peers in every state but one: Hawaii. (Adobe Stock)

IA Sees Worsening Racial Gap in Youth Incarceration

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa has recently laid out recommendations to reduce overrepresentation of minorities in the juvenile justice system. The effort …

On average, Black minors in the United States were five times more likely to be incarcerated than their white counterparts in 2015. The rate had fallen to 4.4 times by 2019. (Adobe Stock)

Racial Disparities in CT Juvenile Facilities Higher than US Trends

HARTFORD, Conn. -- While there has been a decline in youth incarceration overall, a report on data gathered just before the pandemic shows …

About 41% of youths in juvenile facilities are Black, according to a new report, despite being only 15% of the youth population in America. (Adobe stock)

Report: Racial Disparities in MD Youth Incarceration Persist

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Although incarceration disparities for Black and white youths fell over the past decade, a new report shows young people of color …

Between 2009 and 2017, when 'raise the age' laws were implemented, Connecticut saw an 85% decrease in the number of minors housed at its Mason Youth Correctional Institute. (Adobe Stock)

With Fewer CT Youths in Jail, Advocates See Path for More Reforms

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A new report shows Connecticut has been able to decrease the number of young people in its juvenile-justice system since …

A new Sentencing Project report finds 6% of arrests for minors are for serious or violent offenses that might pose a threat to public safety, while 56% account for property crimes, drug crimes and violations of probation. (Adobe Stock)

‘Raise the Age’ Reforms Lead to No More Youths in NY Adult Prisons

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Rates of youth incarceration in adult jails and prison are down to zero since New York raised the age of criminal responsibility to 18…

Missouri lawmakers passed "raise the age" legislation in 2018, and it went into effect this year. (K Stocker/Adobe Stock)

17-Year-Olds in MO Now Will Be Treated as Juveniles, Not Adults

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In Missouri's courts, 17-year-olds will now be automatically treated as juveniles rather than adults if they're taken into …

Since 2007, 11 states raised the age of criminal responsibility to age 18, a nationwide reform initiative referred to as "raise the age." (Adobe Stock)

Report: NC’s ‘Raise the Age’ Law Led to Fewer Youths Charged as Adults

RALEIGH, N.C. -- In 2019, North Carolina stopped charging most 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, and a new report looks at the law's effects on the …

Research has shown that youths in the adult criminal justice system are 34% more likely to be arrested again than those convicted of similar offenses in juvenile court. (nicolagiordano/Pixabay)

Push Continues in Texas to "Raise the Age" for Juvenile Offenders

AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas is one of only three states to automatically treat 17-year-olds as adults when they are arrested, and the Texas Criminal …

A new report says with more states raising the minimum age for criminal responsibility, there's been a 60% reduction in teens going through the adult justice system. (Adobe Stock)

Report Prompts New Calls for WI to 'Raise the Age' for Criminal Responsibility

MADISON, Wis. -- In Wisconsin, if a 17-year-old is arrested, they're automatically treated as an adult defendant. There's been a push to "Raise the …

Florida currently allows minors to expunge first-time misdemeanors if they complete a diversion program. (Pxabay)

Advocates See DeSantis Veto of Juvenile Records Bill as Missed Opportunity

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Republicans and Democrats alike are stunned by Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto of a bill they passed unanimously. It would've expanded …

Massachusetts raised the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18 in 2013, the fourth state to do so. (Flickr)

Report: 'Raise the Age' Law in MA Reduced Youth Detention

BOSTON - The number of kids and teens detained in Massachusetts has decreased since the state started treating arrested 17-year-olds as juveniles rath…

Illinois raised the age for charging juveniles as adults in misdemeanor cases in 2009, and for felony cases in 2013. (zimmytws/Adobe Stock)

Fewer IL Youth in Prison Since Raising Criminal-Responsibility Age

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The number of kids and teens behind bars has decreased since Illinois raised the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18…

More than 450 students have completed the Curt's Caf� three-month workforce training and life-skills curriculum. (ibravery/Adobe Stock)

Groups Urge Training, Mentoring Programs Over Youth Incarceration

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Juvenile-justice reform groups say helping young people with work and life-skills training reduces recidivism more effectively than …

The bill to ban deception in juvenile interrogations was passed unanimously by the Illinois State Senate. (Nick Youngson/Pix4free)

Illinois to Be First to Ban Deception in Interrogations of Juveniles

CHICAGO - Illinois is set to become the first state to prohibit the use of deception by law enforcement in interrogations of juveniles. Laura …

A recent juvenile-justice task force found that many youths are in detention because of a lack of community-based alternatives and wait lists for existing programs. (Chatiyanon/Adobestock)

Staff Shortages Threaten Mental-Health System for Basic Services

AUGUSTA, Maine -- With about three weeks left in the legislative session, mental-health advocates want lawmakers to increase the funding for …

In the last decade, three of the Illinois Youth Center sites have closed. Groups that advocate against youth incarceration want the remaining five facilities to follow suit. (methaphum/Adobe Stock)

Interactive Tool Illustrates Incarceration's Impact on Young People

CLARIFICATION: The name of the organization that developed the tool, Performing Statistics, was added. (1:45 p.m. MST, May 20, 2021) CHICAGO - …

Day One is the only Maine agency that provides an adolescent residential substance-use treatment program. (motortion/Adobe Stock)

Groups Decry Lack of Substance-Use Treatment for Young Mainers

AUGUSTA, Maine - As Maine's legislative session nears an end, groups are urging lawmakers to prioritize making mental health and substance-use …

Research shows unequal application of school discipline is due to different treatment, not different behavior by students. (MIA Studio/Adobe Stock)

Report Highlights PA School Discipline Disparities

PHILADELPHIA -- A report to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission recommends banning exclusionary discipline for nonviolent offenses in Pennsylvania …

State legislatures around the country face added pressure for more police accountability policies after the death of George Floyd and other high-profile encounters with Black individuals. (Adobe Stock)

WI Lawmakers Take Up Police Reforms

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Senate is expected to consider a handful of police reform measures today. Lawmakers say they're including many …

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