In Part 1 of this blog, we discussed the good news that rates of youth confinement are declining nationally, demonstrating a 40% decline in youth confinement from 2003 to 2013. However, we also alluded to a caveat—the data doesn’t look equally as good for all groups of youth, especially youth of color. A further analysis of youth in...
Youth Justice
Youth in Confinement I: The Good News
Many are aware of the high rates of incarceration in America and, not surprisingly, this applies to youth as well, with the United States holding more youth in juvenile detention, correctional facilities, and residential facilities than any other industrialized country. Fortunately, as evidence builds that confining youth is...
Future Trouble in River City! (Flint, Michigan that is)
Although many thought that lead poisoning has been largely abated over the last decade, the Flint water crisis has reminded the country that lead poisoning is a real threat for many children and families. You can check out a January WCCF post on the health concerns that remain. It’s well established that lead exposure is damaging to...
What the Netflix Documentary “Making a Murderer” Shows us about Youth Confessions
If you have been living in a cave or have been transfixed watching only football over the last two weeks – let’s hope neither is the case – you perhaps have missed the extensive main media and social media attention that has been given to the controversial Netflix documentary, Making a Murderer. The murder of Teresa Hallbach in the fall...
New York Gives Second Chance to Some Youthful Offenders – a Step in the Right Direction
As advocacy efforts to raise the age of adult court from 16 (yes 16) to 18 in New York continue, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his plan to give former youthful offenders a second chance by pardoning those who committed nonviolent crimes as youth but have since been law-abiding citizens. New York is one of just two states that...
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