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-- ShakespeareBrevity on the NetWednesday, May 17, 2006 A weekly newsletter about juvenile justice
from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges,
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New!! Graduated Sanctions E-Tool
Developed as part of the NCJFCJ project to improve juvenile sanctions, and unveiled at the Graduated Sanctions Conference last week, this online tool helps practitioners to connect juveniles to the right programs at the right time. The tool divides graduated sanctions into five major levels and presents programs and intervention strategies that work within each of them. Handy links to detailed information and expert program contacts are also provided, enabling the user to access all of the information they need to connect juveniles and their families to the services they need when they need them. ++++++++++ Many School Drug Prevention Programs Don’t Help
A growing body of evidence says that one-size-fits-all lessons do little to prepare kids for the real drug choices they’re likely to face. By condemning all drugs as bad and not distinguishing between legitimate medications and, in moderation, alcohol – such programs can confuse kids and ultimately cheapen their own messages. The few programs shown to be successful are often not the ones used in school. A 2002 study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that although 82% of schools used some kind of program, only 35% of public schools and 13% of private schools were using a program that researchers had found effective. ++++++++++ Children of a Polygamist Sect
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) is an offshoot of the Mormon faith centered in the towns of Colorado City, Ariz. and Hildale, Utah. It is a polygamous sect of 10,000 members that portrays itself as an industrious commune of the faithful who choose to live apart from a hostile world. Investigations have uncovered widespread sexual abuse and child exploitation. Warren Jeffs, a third-generation church member is the sect leader – a post that carries the title “prophet” and gives him virtually absolute control over the most intimate conduct. The Los Angeles Times has investigated the sect over the last year, using court records, undisclosed investigative reports and interviews that show church authorities flout state and federal laws and systematically deny rights and freedoms, especially to women and children. See the series of articles below: ++++++++++ Why a Judge is Like a Coach
Judge Michael Town explains how and why judges can be considered coaches and describes his experience with the Positive Coaching Alliance, a Stanford University-based nonprofit organization that re-defines what “winning” means. +++++++++++ Muslim Girl Scouts
There are a growing number of Muslim Girl and Boy Scout troops across the nation. The Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting in Connecticut estimates almost 1,000 Muslim girls participate in scouting. The Boy Scouts have counted nearly 2,000 Muslim Boy Scouts in 104 units affiliated with mosques and Islamic schools. Here is a short report from the Pluralism Project on the growing popularity of scouting among the country’s Muslim population: Muslim Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops Grow in Popularity Nationwide. ++++++++++ A Report on Teen Sex
This series of articles from The Washington Post examines teen sexuality in the United States and how it differs from teens and sex in Western Europe. While attitudes in the U.S. are different than those in Western European countries, the views of leading researchers and doctors on both sides of the Atlantic are not. They tend to agree that the mixed message America sends to teens about sex endanger our children. Links below: A very thorough treatment of the subject. ++++++++++ Treated Like Trash: Juvenile Detention in New Orleans Before, During, and After Hurricane Katrina
The Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana released this report last week that documents a system with no plan or proper supplies to evacuate juveniles. It reports on the conditions under which juveniles trapped in the Orleans Parish Prison subsisted and their harrowing trip out of New Orleans to Baton Rouge where food, showers and safe beds awaited. 20+ page pdf file. See also this article about the report from the Times-Picayune.. ++++++++++ Youthbuild
Youthbuild is a program to assist disadvantaged young adults in completing their high school education, provide on-site construction training experience and to further opportunities for their placement in apprenticeship programs that can lead to economic self-sufficiency. The program is supported by HUD and has a substantial amount of funding. ++++++++++ What About the Dads?
This study documents that nonresident fathers of children in foster care are not often involved in case planning efforts and nearly half are never contacted by the child welfare agency during their child’s stay in foster care. Caseworkers may overlook potential social connections and resources that could help to achieve permanency for the child. Nine page summary report. Full report is also available for download. ++++++++++ Juveniles in U.S. Prisons Win Time-Served Right
A federal appeals court has ruled that juveniles have the same right as adults to get their sentences reduced by the amount of time they have been locked up since their arrests. Policy will be changed to treat juveniles the same as adults. The ruling affects youths charged with federal crimes committed before age 18. Most are Native American youth whose crimes were committed on reservations, subjecting them to federal jurisdiction. ++++++++++ Teen Prostitution
The Toledo Blade continues to report on teen prostitution in that city which has been identified by the federal government as a hub for a national teen prostitution ring . - Teen Prostitute Found Dead Had Slipped Away Long Ago – Melissa Palmer, a key witness in the federal case against a nationwide underage sex-trade ring, died of an apparent drug overdose in late April. She was 18. She was a chronic runaway who first left home at age 11.
Surviving in Wayne’s World - Wayne Banks, Jr. is a third-generation pimp who is serving 40 years in prison. Last year he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Pensacola, Fla., to interstate sex trafficking of a 17-year-old Toledo girl, intimidating a witness, and conspiracy. Banks was part of a nationwide sex-trade ring that preyed on young girls.
++++++++++ Highlights of the 2004 National Youth Gang Survey
A new fact sheet summarizes findings from the National Youth Gang Survey for 2004 and reports data on the number of gangs, gang members, and gang-related homicides in larger cities, suburban counties, smaller cities, and rural counties. The findings indicate that gangs, gang members, and gang-related homicides are concentrated in larger cities. ++++++++++ Kids Who Murder Their Parents Kathleen M. Heide, a Florida professor of criminology, says in a newspaper interview that most parents who are killed by their children are killed by adult children. When the killer is a child, she said, the child most often kills out of desperation or terror. A second category involves children with severe mental illness and appears more often in cases involving adult children. The third category Heide found was that of children with severe antisocial tendencies. Heide says the killing of parents is about 2% of all homicides. She said most commonly, children who killed a parent were abused at home, particularly among parricides involving a child under 18. ++++++++++ Sexual Assaults by Children In decades past, social workers would recognize sexual assault by children as a red flag for similar abuse in the home. Youngsters committing sexual offenses were found to be sexual victims. Experts now worry about some children “acting out” because of the proliferation of sexuality on the internet and in graphic video games, on cable TV and in their parent’s stash of explicit DVDs. Experts say the signs of sexually reactive behavior include: Sexual molestation of other children Mutual advanced sexual activity with other children Excessive, age-inappropriate sexual play with other children Excessive masturbation, sexual thoughts, gestures Public masturbation or exposure Use of force, bribery or coercion to engage in sex play with friends Oversexualization in drawings, paintings, play with dolls Sexual molestation of other children
The article above includes a list of resource organizations. ++++++++++ Conferences,and a Web Cast
NCJFCJ’s 69th Annual Conference July 16-19, 2006, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
A wide variety of workshops on topics including family violence, family law, permanency planning, juvenile detention alternatives, juvenile sanctions, substance abuse, and truancy as well as a track focusing on tribal court issues. For more information click on the link above. Mental Health Delivery for Youth in Detention and Corrections June 13-15, 2006, Phoenix, Arizona.
Training will concentrate on effective treatment of youth in custody with mental illness. No registration fee. The Training is free, but participants must pay for their transportation and accommodations. OJJDP will offer twenty-five scholarships to cover these costs for the days of the conference. More information at the link above. OJJDP’s Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center Conference. August 24-26, 2006. Baltimore, MD.
This conference will offer guidance for the new and the advanced practitioner on how to establish, maintain, and strengthen linkages between law enforcement and community agencies in an effort to prevent underage drinking and its consequences. More information at the link above. 2006 G.R.E.A.T. National Training Conference. July 26-28, 2006 – La Quinta, Calif. (Greater Palm Springs area)
The conference will provide critical training designed to address the needs of individuals currently implementing the program as well as those who want to become involved in G.R.E.A.T. Details at the link above. National Center for Victims of Crime Training Institute June 19-20, 2006 – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Congressman Bud Cramer (invited) and Chris Newlin, executive director of the National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC) – the nation’s leading organization for training child abuse professions – will present the highly-regarded NCAC service delivery model and its application for serving victims of all ages. For details, click on the link above. Web Conference: Promoting Stability in Foster Care: Why Children Move and How to Minimize Disruptions June 7, 2006 1 pm to 2 pm EST
Click on the link above for more details and to register online.
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