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-- ShakespeareBrevity on the NetWednesday, April 26, 2006 A weekly newsletter about juvenile justice
from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges,
Brevity brings you news and information from around the country and on the Internet.
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Child Trauma
Jackie Ruffin, the editor of the Juvenile and Family Court Journal, has just published a dynamite special issue of the Journal devoted to the issue of child trauma. Contents include: The Impact of Trauma on Child Development (available as a pdf file online at the link above) Pathways from Child Maltreatment to Delinquency: Implications for juvenile and Permanency Court Proceedings and Decisions The State of the Debate About Children’s Disclosure Patterns in Child Sexual Abuse Cases Medical Evidence and Expert Testimony in Child Sexual Abuse Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: Making Trauma-Informed Custody and Visitation Decisions Protecting and Supporting Children in the Child Welfare System and the Juvenile Court Trauma Interventions and Systems of Change in Rural Areas: The Role of the Juvenile Court Judge in collaboration With Mental Health Professionals
Individual copies of the Journal are available for $15 each and the lead article in this issue is available to read/download at the link above at no charge. A subscription to the Journal is $60 per year and, if you join NCJFCJ either as a full or associate member, it comes free with your membership. ++++++++++ Leaving Boys Behind: Public High School Graduation Rates
The Center for Civic Innovation at he Manhattan Institute has just released this report which finds finds a wide disparity in the public high school graduation rates of white and minority students, particularly for boys who are minorities. the overall national public high school graduation rate for the class of 2003 was 70 percent. 72% of female students graduated.
65% of male students graduated. 59% of African-American females graduated.
48% of African-American males graduated. 58% of Hispanic females graduated.
49% of Hispanic males graduated. Each of the nation’s ten largest public high school districts, which enroll more than 8% of the nation’s public school student population, failed to graduate more than 60% of its students.
26 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Teen Suicide in Utah
The Deseret News in Salt Lake City is running Teen Suicide: Utah’s Grim Reality, a week-long series on the incidence of teen suicide in the state. Youth suicide has been declared an epidemic by the Utah Department of Health. Utah leads the nation in suicides among ages 15 to 24 and the 11th highest suicide rate in the nation over all age groups – 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Follow the links below to read the series thus far: April 23, 2006 – Deadly taboo: Youth suicide an epidemic that many in Utah prefer to ignore.
Two more stories to follow on Thursday and Friday. In print the series is 40 pages so far, will probably be about 50 pages altogether. If you’d like to save wear and tear on your printer and your ink cartridges, send me an email with your USPO address and I’ll send you a hard copy of the complete series. ++++++++++ SMARTY Bus Teaches Youth After School
The SMARTY (Sharing Mobile After School Resources, Training Youth) Bus program in Sheridan, Wyoming teaches third through sixth graders about everything from drugs to rocket science. The bus visits two day care centers and eight elementary schools, stopping at each site once every two weeks from 3 to 4 p.m. ++++++++++ Attorney General Gonzales Announces Stepped-up Anti-Child Pornography Campaign
At the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children last week, the Attorney General spoke very frankly about child pornography, what it is, and how the Internet complicates the problem and makes many more children vulnerable to sexual predators. The link above will take you to the text of his speech. ++++++++++ Court Web Sites
You might want to make this page one of your Favorites. NCSC provides judicial branch links for each state as well as federal and tribal court web sites, court related organizations, law libraries and law schools, and other information of interest to the field. ++++++++++ School Murder Conspiracy at North Pole, Alaska
Six seventh-grade boys were in custody last weekend on suspicion they plotted to bring guns and knives to school and kill teachers and students they didn’t like. Police speculated the boys were driven by motives ranging from being picked on by others students to disliking staff and students. North Pole is a small community near Fairbanks, Alaska with a Christmas theme. ++++++++++ Study of Zero Tolerance Policy in Florida Finds Thousands of Students Funneled into Juvenile Detention for Minor Offenses.
The Advancement Project, a NAACP-affiliated group based in Washington, D. C., says that “school districts have spent millions of dollars for school police officers who spend most of their time disciplining students for conduct that should be addressed by school programs, counseling and parental involvement.”
School administrators statewide relied heavily on out-of-school suspensions which rose 14% in 2005 although the student population increased by 8% during the same time. Black students accounted for half of those suspensions and juvenile justice referrals, although they account for 23% of student enrollment statewide. ++++++++++ Black Kids Accused of ‘Acting White’ When They Get Good Grades
According to Roland Fryer Jr. and Paul Torelli in “An Empirical Analysis of Acting White,” published in May 2005, acting white describes a set of social interactions in which black adolescents ridicule other black adolescents for investing in behaviors characteristic of whites – getting good grades, speaking standard English, raising their hand in class, for example. This article includes descriptions of a number of programs that have been started to confront this problem. ++++++++++ Locked Up at Fifteen, Prosecuted as an Adult, Eleven Years Later He’s Free and Coping -- More or Less
Minnesotan Stephen Glaze was among the first juveniles to be prosecuted as an adult under a new get-tough Minnesota law. Eleven years later he’s out of jail and trying to become a member of the community. He’s been looking for work for four months. ++++++++++ R.E.S.P.E.C.T. This is a juvenile offender reentry initiative run by the Miami/Miami-Dade Weed and Seed for 14- to 17-year-olds. It provides mentoring and life-skills training to prevent recidivism and equip youth with “life action plans” to succeed. ++++++++++ National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy - May 3, 2006
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is sponsoring the fifth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on May 3. The day gives teens the opportunity to focus on the importance of avoiding teen pregnancy and other serious consequences of sex. Interested readers will find the following available online: ++++++++++ Teen Birth Rate
The teen birth rate has continued to decline, according to preliminary data for 2005 from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). However, it is only lower than 2003 by 1%, indicating the rapidity of the decline that started after 1991 has slowed. The 2004 rate was one-third lower than the 1991 peak rate. More information, data, statistics available at the link above from Child Trends. ++++++++++ Youth May Curtail Drug Dealing and Use in the AM on Nonschool Days
The April 10, 2006, CESAR FAX from the university of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research deals with the time of day juveniles are most likely to be caught committing drug law violations. The answer depends on whether it is a school day. ++++++++++ Maryland Gangs Have Their Own Web Sites
Street Thug Criminals delivered their message warning a rival gang that a member’s death would be avenged on their web site. Police call it “cyberbanging,” gang members openly bragging about affiliations, skipping school, getting high and battling rival gangs. ++++++++++ Events and Conferences Preventing Gangs in Our Communities
OJJDP will air two sequential satellite broadcasts that explore ways to prevent gangs on May 23, 2006 (Part 1) and June 6, 2006 (Part 2). The programs include a panel of gang specialists from federal and local law enforcement agencies and community and faith-based organizations. Viewers can sign up to host a telecast in their communities or watch both programs live on their computers. More information at the link above. Managing Juvenile Services Training
OJJDP is sponsoring four training sessions on managing juvenile services. Each session is a 4 1/2 day course that will present management concepts that build leadership capacity and organization competency in the planning and delivery of juvenile services. Participants will be responsible for transportation, meals, and incidentals. OJJDP will provide materials, instruction, and single-occupancy lodging. No registration fee. For more information, click on the link above and look for "managing juvenile services." AMBER Alert Training
OJP is sponsoring an array of training opportunities in support of AMBER Alert, an early warning system designed to assist in the recovery of missing children. OJP will provide tuition, transportation, lodging, and training materials. Participants are responsible for meals, ground transportation, and incidentals. More details at the link above.
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