Because youth of color are also overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, many of the LGBTQ youth in the system are also youth of color, which can often make them invisible to juvenile justice workers
Justice Scholars Enables At-Risk Teens to Get Back on Track
While Justice Scholars is still in its early stages, 55 participants have graduated so far — some are enrolled in community colleges, others have been placed in jobs with partner organizations of the program.
US Policies Are at the Heart of Why ‘Unaccompanied Minors’ Are Crossing the Border
At its heart, the question of what to do with these children is a moral one. These children, despite the rhetoric, are not criminals. They are refugees.
Evidence Shows Community-based Programs Work Better than Incarceration for Youth
More than 8 out of 10 youth remained arrest-free after completing community-based programs run by Youth advocate Programs.
The Many Things that are Wrong with A&E’s “Beyond Scared Straight” Program
The hit series from Disney’s A&E Network became the most watched original series launch in the network’s history with an audience of 3.7 million people.
‘Kids-for-Cash’ Documentary a Reminder of Continuing Problems in Juvenile Justice Systems
An eye-opening and heart-wrenching portrayal of juvenile ‘justice’ through the eyes of a child.
‘Fearful Inheritance’: What the Case for Reparations Means for Jail and Prison Reform
To repair the harm caused by the legacy of American racism and white supremacy, we must look beyond the cages we have built to hide the consequences of our history from ourselves.
Throwing Our Kids to the Lions: The Dangers of Scared Straight
Answers about what works best for troubled young people should be based in sound research not in storytelling aimed to generate profits for television networks.
Nell Bernstein and the Abolition of Juvenile Prisons
“The statistic is horrific. One in three children will be arrested by the time they are 23 and many of them will spend time in detention centers, actually prisons, who do little to rehabilitate. In fact, each year some two million children are arrested in this country.”
Four Tribes to Create Juvenile Diversion Programs
Four American Indian tribes in South Dakota, Colorado and Minnesota will be setting up programs to aid youth who otherwise might be incarcerated.
At ‘Wit’s End’: Scared Straight Programs Remain Popular Among Parents Despite Warnings
Despite evidence that scared straight-type programs are ineffective and can even be harmful in the long run, many parents continue to turn to local jails for help when it comes to behavioral issues with their children.
Growing Number of States Moving Away from Juvenile Solitary Confinement
Behold the landscape of juvenile solitary confinement, and how quickly it can change.
Sorry, Prison Rape Jokes About Justin Bieber Aren’t Funny
When rape involves men, particularly men in prison, we as a society often trivialize it into nothing more than a “don’t drop the soap” joke. John Lash, executive director of Georgia Conflict Center, implores us to end our absurd acceptance of rape.
Celebrating Dr. King the Right Way
On MLK Day 2014, John Lash asks us to fully realize the profound power of our daily actions both to change ourselves and to change others.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Zero Tolerance in Education
I shudder to think of all the instances of out-of-control teenage anger that nearly killed another, when those same angry kids never really intended to seriously hurt anyone in the first place.
A Juvenile Public Defender and the ‘Untreated’ Disease of Poverty
Public defender Jerry Drayton refuses to view his young indigent clients as “the problem”—rather, he believes their actions are symptomatic of a much larger issue within many U.S. communities.