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Brevity on the NetWednesday, July 12, 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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Youth Violence Up in Cities Around the Country
The articles below are pretty representative of news I’m seeing in cities across the country about sudden spikes in juvenile violence. Communities are gearing up to address youth violence with initiatives, task forces, and programs that appear very similar to the type of activity the field saw in the 1990s. I’m guessing these spikes aren’t really sudden, but have been building for some time and have now reached a level high enough to attract attention. Boston Globe – City senses urgency on youth violence
Sacramento Bee – County sees a startling spike in juvenile crime ++++++++++ Major Study on Girls With ADHD: The Risks to Girls Are as Real as for Boys
A major long-term study of girls diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in elementary school has found they are at greater risk for substance abuse, emotional problems and academic difficulties in adolescence than their peers who don’t have ADHD. The study is a much anticipated five year followup study of one of the largest samples of girls with ADHD ever examined.
To read an article in Medical News TODAY about the study, click here. ++++++++++ Web Site: National Center for Youth Law
The web site of NCYL contains articles and information of interest to readers. Click here to read the latest issue of Youth Law News. This issue contains an article on the Ayotte Opinion, the recent Supreme Court ruling on parental notification in New Hampshire.
++++++++++ Columbine Records: Essays, Diary Entries, Drawings and Other Documents
Nearly 1,000 pages of essays, diary entries, computer files and other documents released last week include a notebook journal kept by Harris’ father that referred to his son’s disciplinary and psychological problems. The pages are filled with profanity, racial slurs and drawings depicting violence or death.
Overview Details ++++++++++ Synergy
Synergy is a publication of the NCJFCJ Family Violence Department published twice a year and available in hard copy or for download online at our web site. In this issue:
Parenting Coordination in Domestic Violence Cases VAWA 2005: A Focus on Prevention, Children, and Underserved Populations Accounting for Culture in Supervised Visitation Practices.
++++++++++ Justice for Children: Changing Lives by Changing Systems – A National Call to Action
Report of the results of a national judicial leadership summit on the protection of children. Includes state action plans developed during the summit with the intent to produce fundamental improvements in child protection. The plans closely follow the recommendations of the Pew Commission. NCJFCJ was a contributor to the summit. 54 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Collision Between Laws to Protect the Public and Laws to Shield the Identities of Children
Laws meant to protect the public by listing sex offenders on Internet registries are colliding with laws intended to shield the identities of children who get into trouble. A proposed federal law would require states to put juveniles on public registries after sex offenses are handled in juvenile court. Some states, on the other hand, have reconsidered putting juveniles on sex offender registries.
Vermont no longer applies sex offender laws to people ages 15-18 who engage in consensual sex, joining other states with “Romeo and Juliet” laws that keep such teens off offender registries. Kansas gave juvenile court judges the discretion to keep juveniles off the public registry. In Missouri, a teenager convicted of consensual sex with another teen can appeal to be removed from the non-public police registry. Missouri does not put juveniles on its public registry.
++++++++++ Girl Connection The Iowa Commission on the Status of Women Task Force distributes a free quarterly newsletter insert to girl-serving agencies, juvenile justice system personnel and other interested professionals across Iowa. A newsletter insert provides research and program suggestions related to gender-specific services. The one page insert is always distributed on white paper for easy reproduction and distribution. Click on the link above to download a variety of materials and information on girls. The June issue, Addiction and Empowerment, isn’t posted on the web site yet, but should be shortly. It discusses the traditional 12 step approach in the context of girls and finds the 12 steps need to be adapted to meet their needs. If you don't want to wait to read Addiction and Empowerment, I have a hard copy and I'll either mail or fax it to you. Send me an email with your fax number or USPO mailing address. ++++++++++ Foster Adoption Law - Success and Challenges Foster adoptions have increased 64% nationwide, but there is debate about whether the government is too focused on money for adoptions. Kentucky, for instance, is investigating the process of terminating parental rights in the wake of allegaitons from some social workers and others that the Cabinet for health and Family Service sometimes worngly terminates parental rights. ++++++++++ http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/news_at_glance/214512/index.html The May/June issue of OJJDP’s online news source includes articles on the two-part webcast and satellite broadcast on gang prevention, the HAY initiative to promote positive youth development, and the National Network of Youth Ministries Mentor Recruitment Kit. Click on the link above to read the entire publication. ++++++++++ Alternative to Jail Programs for Juveniles
Two new programs are saving New York City several million dollars and with promising results, even though they have been in operation only two years. The link above to the New York City Independent Budget Office weekly newsletter features this week the two community-based approaches to rehabilitation of youth. The Enhanced Supervision Program (ESP) was specifically designed to divert serious cases from Office of Children and Family Services when the youth do not pose a threat to community safety. Esperanza is a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice. Youth enter Esperanza as a result of their Family Court hearing, either as part of a conditional discharge or in conjunction with probation. Esperanza provides family-based therapeutic services and crisis management.
With thanks to Jack Ryan, NYC Department of Probation, for sending me the IBO link. ++++++++++ Youth Crime and Incarceration in California
The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice has released this new study that shows California’s youth crime at its lowest level in almost 30 years and youth incarceration rates to be the lowest in modern state history. The principal author is Mike Males. From the study: The state’s youth incarceration rate declined from a 1980 rate of 170 per 100,000 to a 2004 rate of 91 per 100,000. During the same period the youth violent crime arrest rate declined from 556 per 100,000 to 348 per 100,000.
15 page pdf file. ++++++++++ PBS Gang Documentary: 18 With a Bullet
Although this program about El Salvadoran gangs aired Tuesday night, everyone knows PBS stations re-run shows again sometime in the week that follows the first broadcast. So, check your local listings for this program, which is described in an article in the Washington Post at the link above, and watch it as a re-run. You can also check out the PBS web site devoted to the gang and the program. Links of interest there include a handbook on international and domestic gang culture. More gang resources and information: National Youth Gang Survey 1999-2001. This publication presents findings from the 1999, 2000, and 2001 national surveys and some preliminary results from the 2002 survey. Information from the survey: Approximately 732,500 gang members and 21,600 gangs were estimated to be active in the United States in 2002 (compared to an estimated 846,000 and 30,800 in 1996). Approximately 85% of all gang members were estimated to be located in larger cities and suburban counties in 2002. In 2001, more than 1,300 homicides involving a gang member were reported by 132 cities with a population of 100,000 or more. Two of these cities, Los Angeles and Chicago, reported nearly 700 gang homicides combined.
80 page pdf file. ++++++++++ And You Think You Have It Tough!
Read about the Animal Control Commission in Anne Arundel County, Virginia. The commission, a panel of seven: three professionals (a vet, a police officer, and a county health officer) and four ordinary citizens, hears cases in a docket that has involved everything from emus to ostriches to a runaway wallaby. Read this article. It has the soaps beat, hands down, and the members of the commission should be awarded medals.
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