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-- ShakespeareBrevity on the NetWednesday, May 3, 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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Your next Brevity issue will be May 17. I’ll be at the Graduated Sanctions Conference in Las Vegas next week. It looks to be a very successful conference. Hope to see you there. Bronx Community Solutions The Center for Court Innovation’s newest demonstration project, Bronx Community Solutions, brings a combination of punishment and help to all non-violent misdemeanor cases in the Bronx central Courthouse. All judges will have broad set of sentencing options at their disposal, including drug treatment, job training, family services and mental health counseling. Offenders will be assigned to community service work. At this web site:
A blog, “Changing the Court,” about the experiences of court staff in this new program, and A report, “Applying Problem-Solving Principles in Mainstream Courts: Lessons for State Courts.” 18 page pdf file. From The Juvenile Justice System Journal Vol. 26, No. 1, 2005
++++++++++ Psychiatric Disorders of Youth in Detention
OJJDP’s latest Juvenile Justice Bulletin examines the prevalence of alcohol, drug and mental disorders among youth at the Cook County (Illinois) Juvenile Temporary Detention Center by gender, race/ethnicity/ and age. The Bulletin finds that nearly two-thirds of males and three-quarters of females studied met diagnostic criteria for one or more psychiatric disorders. Contains information to help the juvenile justice system detect youth psychiatric disorders and respond with an integrated system of services. 16 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Website: Building Refugee Youth & Children’s Services ( BRYCS)
Site resources include publications, programs, technical assistance, a clearinghouse, research and a toolkit for working with refugee parents. ++++++++++ Shattered by Glass: Children and Meth
The Arizona Republic is running a three-day series on the effects of meth on children, from toddlers to teens. It is about 40 pages long. If you’d like a hard copy of the entire series, send me an email with your name and USPO address and I’ll mail you one. ++++++++++ Working with American Indian Families
The February issue of the North Carolina Division of Social Services online newsletter, Practice Notes, is devoted to the issues associated with working with American Indian families – a history of conflict, tribes as sovereign nations, cultural considerations, ICWA, and more. Training Matters, an online training manual, accompanies Practice Notes and provides practical assistance, online education resources, and training in ICWA. Includes websites on the boarding schools of the past century and their legacy. ++++++++++ Giving Kids Adult Antipsychotic Drugs
New antipsychotic drugs, unapproved for children, are being prescribed for kids as outpatients at increasing rates. Outpatient prescriptions for children ages 2 to 18 jumped about fivefold – from just under half a million to about 2.5 million – from 1995 to 2002. Reports of deaths and dangerous side effects are increasing. Particularly unsettling is that oversight of prescriptions for foster children is scarce. This article from USATODAY includes a chart of six atypical antipsychotic drugs and their reactions in children and teens. ++++++++++ National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning
This link will take you to a list of the services provided by this site and a Hot Topics section of folios of online information about specific topics associated with dependency issues. This is one of my favorite sites for child welfare and dependency court resources. ++++++++++ The Commercial Value of Underage and Pathological Drinking to the Alcohol Industry
This study, which appears in the May 2006 issue of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and is featured on the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) web site, concludes that “with at least 27.5% of sales linked to underage drinking and adult abusive and dependent drinking the alcohol industry has a compelling financial motive to attempt to maintain or increase rates of underage drinking.” From the study: Underage drinkers and adult pathological drinkers consume 48.8% of the value of all alcohol sold in the United States.
25.9% of underage drinkers who are alcoholics consume 47.3% of alcohol drunk by underage drinkers.
9.5% of adult pathological drinkers consume 25% of alcohol drunk by adult drinkers.
++++++++++ Judges Are Satisfied with CASA Volunteers
The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (CASA) surveyed judges who hear dependency cases about their view on the role played by CASA and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers in supporting judicial decision-making and court processes. From the survey:
- Judges are most likely to assign CASA volunteers their most difficult and complex cases.
When assigning a case to a volunteer, judges particularly consider the instability of the child’s current placement, conflicting case information, concerns about implementation of services, and extreme neglect, physical abuse, or sexual abuse.
Judges clearly value input from CASA/GAL volunteers in their court decisions. Vounteer input is most highly valued on issues related to placement stability and the permanence and safety of the children while in placement.
Judges find CASA volunteers to be very effective in a wide range of activities that support court processes.
Click on the link above to read an article about the survey. "Evaluation of Court Appointed Special Advocates/Guardians ad Litem Volunteer Impact," and/or to download a copy of this 37 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Alcohol and Gender Equality
Newsweek reports that more young women are drinking to get drunk and are putting themselves at risk by trying to keep up with the boys in the quantity of alcohol they drink. The problem is that alcohol disproportionately affects females compared to their male counterparts: The impact of one drink on a girl is roughly equivalent to the impact of two drinks on a boy.
Heavy female drinkers can experience serious health problems at an early age, including liver disease and gastrointestinal illness. Women are known to be at higher risk for developing liver inflammation and dying from alcohol-related cirrhosis than men.
Federal research indicates that more teen girls than boys began using alcohol in 2004 and two-thirds of 9th grade girls say they have tried drinking at least once.
Many girls get into trouble when they go away to college and are beyond the supervision of their parents for the first time. “Alcopops” marketed to a female audience add to the problem.
++++++++++ Florida Juvenile Boot Camp System Scrapped
Florida state lawmakers have voted to rename the boot camp facilities and demilitarize them to make them emphasize treatment rather than fear. The Martin Lee Anderson Act, named for the teenager who suffered from boot camp guards before his death, bans the use of stun guns, pepper spray, pressure points, mechanical restraints and psychological intimidation unless a child is a threat to himself or others.
The act also establishes a seven-member commission to independently review Department of Juvenile Justice Programs. Juveniles will have an extensive physical exam and access to an abuse hot-line telephone number. The act also advocates more training for staff at the camps. ++++++++++ “Starter Heroin” in Texas Schools
A heroin-laced powder known as “cheese” is popping up in middle and high schools in Texas where dozens of youths have been caught with the drug. So far the problem has been focused on schools in Dallas, where police first reported kids snorting the mixture of ground-up cold medicines and heroin at the start of this school year.
Cheese is a tan powder made mostly from acetaminophen and diphenhydramine HCL - the ingredients in Tylenol PM - with a little heroin mixed in. The drugs are crushed together and typically folded into notebook paper. A quarter-gram sells for $5 and a single hit usually sells for $2. ++++++++++ Program: Art Therapy Connection
This program helps children and teens in danger of failing or dropping out of school by encouraging them to create art and safely communicate their thoughts and feelings. By using art therapy as a means of self-expression and self-discovery, student can have a more successful school year. The Art Therapy connection works to increase concentration levels, self-esteem and self-confidence as well as enhance interpersonal skills and defuse angry feelings. ++++++++++ Conferences, Meetings, Grants NCJFCJ’s 69th Annual Conference July 16-19, 2006 Milwaukee, WI. The 69th Annual Conference will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee. If you arrive early and would like to experience one of Milwaukee’s fine festivals be sure to enjoy Bastille Days, July 13-16, 2006. Celebrate French history and culture as the streets of Milwaukee are transformed into a mini French city complete with an Eiffel Tower. Located just 6 blocks from the Hyatt Milwaukee Regency, this event is within walking distance and free to the public. More details at the link above. IIRP Summer Training Institute: Exploring the Restorative Practices Continuum
July 24-28, 2006, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.This is a five day immersion program on restorative practices, concepts and strategies; restorative circles; restorative conferences, and; family group decision making. 2006 Juvenile Justice National Symposium: Building Successful Alliances to Improve Outcomes
May 31-June 2, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport. This CWLA symposium will focus on multi-system alliances between juvenile justice and child welfare. Justice and Mental health Collaboration Program: FY 2006 Competitive Grant Announcement
This grant program seeks to increase public safety through innovative cross-system collaboration for individuals with mental illness who come into contact with the criminal or juvenile justice systems. BJA seeks joint applications from eligible applicants seeking to plan, implement, or expand an adult or juvenile collaboration program. National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health 2006 Training Institutes
July 12-15, 2006, Orlando, Florida. This conference will focus on local systems of care for children and adolescents with or at risk for emotional disturbances and their families. The intent is to provide in-depth, practical information on how to develop, operate, and sustain comprehensive, coordinated, community-based systems of care and how to provide high-quality, effective clinical interventions and supports within such systems.
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Juvenile & Family Law Department
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