Juvenile Incarceration — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Juvenile Incarceration

Nationally, on any given night, approximately 81,000 youth are confined to juvenile facilities and 10,000 children are held in adult jails and prisons. Approximately 1 in 10 young male high school dropouts is incarcerated or in juvenile detention. For African Americans, that number is 1 in 4. Research shows that just over two million youth under the age of 18 were arrested in 2008. Of these two million, about 95 percent had not been accused of violent crimes. In 2010, of the nearly 100,000 youth under the age of 18 who were serving time in a juvenile residential placement facility, 26 percent had been convicted of property crimes only, such as burglary, arson, or theft. Access to education both stems the tide of incarceration and improves inmates chances of re-acclimating to society after their release.

Why Handcuffing Schoolkids is a Path to Criminalization

“Earlier this year, a Pittsburgh family filed a federal lawsuit against the city’s school district after their first-grader was handcuffed in class. The seven-year-old, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, was handcuffed by a Pittsburgh school resource officer at an elementary school after throwing a tantrum in class, according to an account of the suit, which was filed as a class action in an alleged violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.“

The Crime Report

November 7, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 25, 2019The Crime Report, PittsburghComment

The Quiet Rooms

“The spaces have gentle names: The reflection room. The cool-down room. The calming room. The quiet room. But shut inside them, in public schools across the state, children as young as 5 wail for their parents, scream in anger and beg to be let out. The students, most of them with disabilities, scratch the windows or tear at the padded walls. They throw their bodies against locked doors. They wet their pants. Some children spend hours inside these rooms, missing class time. Through it all, adults stay outside the door, writing down what happens.“

ProPublica Illinois

November 19, 2019

OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesNovember 19, 2019ProPublica IllinoisComment

On Closing The School-To-Prison Pipeline For Good

“My plan would also invest an additional $100 billion in “Excellence Grants” — that’s equivalent to $1 million for every public school in the country — to invest in things like afterschool arts programs and school-based student mentoring programs. My administration will also set the goal of helping 25,000 public schools transition to the community school framework by 2030. By providing services and engaging parents and the broader community, community schools can reduce the impact of systemic racial and economic disadvantage on students.“

Essence

November 6, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 6, 2019Essence, Elizabeth WarrenComment

A Deadly Father-and-Son Bank Robbery Raises Questions About Culpability and the Adolescent Mind

“The case has echoes of Mathena v. Malvo, which is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Both cases revolve around a young, impressionable man alleged to have been influenced by a destructive mentor. And both reflect an ongoing national debate over which young people should be protected from the most severe sentences and be allowed an opportunity for release.“

The Appeal

October 18, 2019

Life Sentences, Mental HealthPhillip ReevesOctober 18, 2019The AppealComment

More than 30,000 children under age 10 have been arrested in the US since 2013: FBI

“Stunning annual crime statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) show that between 2013 and 2018 (the most recent year for which complete data is available), at least 30,467 children under the age of 10 were arrested in the United States. And the numbers skyrocket for children between the ages of 10 to 12 with 266,321 arrested during the same six-year time span, according to the data.“

ABC News

October 1, 2019

Juvenile Incarceration, OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesOctober 1, 2019ABC NewsComment

The Office Who Arrested a 6-Year-Old Was Fired but Don't Expect Much to Change

“Meralyn Kirkland got a call last Thursday about her granddaughter, Kaia Rolle. She was told that the 6-year-old girl had been arrested at her Orlando charter school and was going to be taken to a juvenile facility. She reacted the way one might expect. “I say, ‘What do you mean she was arrested?’ ” Kirkland told WKMG. There was “an incident,” Kirkland was told. Kaia had “kicked somebody and she’s being charged.”“

The Appeal

September 24, 2019

OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesSeptember 24, 2019The AppealComment

My students are the future of juvenile justice | Judge Irene Sullivan

“Field trips are a must. The students visit dependency court, delinquency court and a commitment program. We focus on the science of developing brains and current changes in juvenile law, such as limiting life without parole sentences, tossing out false confessions and revoking mandatory laws charging juvenile as adults. And we remember our mantra: Kids are not short adults; kids do stupid things; kids need a responsible parent(s); kids need to feel safe, to be loved and to have hope.“

Tampa Bay Times

September 5, 2019

Juvenile IncarcerationPhillip ReevesSeptember 5, 2019Tampa Bay Times, Irene SullivanComment

Number of Young People Charged in Philadelphia's Adult Court Drops Sharply

“The number of children charged as adults in Philadelphia has been cut in half under District Attorney Larry Krasner, according to a review of court records by The Appeal. In the two years before Krasner took office, an average of 127 children were charged as adults. In 2018, Krasner’s first year in office, that number fell to less than 50, The Appeal found.“

The Appeal

August 30, 2019

Juvenile Incarceration, Diversion ProgramsPhillip ReevesAugust 30, 2019The Appeal, Philadelphia, Larry KrasnerComment

Four ways America gets it wrong in prosecuting alleged teen offenders

“Today, every developed nation has a separate court system for juveniles, based on concepts of rehabilitation, proportionality and confidentiality. It represents a second chance for young people, who are by nature more impulsive and prone to risk-taking. It is shocking, then, that over a century later the United States leads these nations in punitive, cruel and inhumane practices against children and adolescents who come into conflict with the law. A visiting judge from the Netherlands recently commented that she didn’t understand what went wrong.“

Chicago Sun Times

August 26, 2019

Juvenile IncarcerationPhillip ReevesAugust 26, 2019Chicago Sun TimesComment

Providing A Path To College For Kids In Juvenile Detention

“At this juvenile hall, young people can take classes taught by community college instructors from nearby College of San Mateo through a program called Project Change. It’s one of only a handful of programs of its kind in the state, and it was one of the very first. Some California lawmakers have taken note. Now they’re pushing to bring college classes to juvenile detention facilities around the state.“

Capital Public Radio

August 21, 2019

Education, Diversion ProgramsPhillip ReevesAugust 21, 2019Project Change, Capital Public Radio, CaliforniaComment

A glimpse of a better life: An apartment and a head start for young men just out of juvenile prison

“Wimbish and his 24-hour-a-day staff run the Tidewater Youth Services Commission's apartment living program, which teaches young men just out of Bon Air — or a state commitment to a local detention center — how to live on their own. They learn to cook, keep a home clean, budget and get along with others. (They don't know their roommates, who are fellow program participants, beforehand.) The apartments are contracted and paid for by the Department of Juvenile Justice. The programs serves eight people at any one time for periods of six months to a year each.“

The Virginian-Pilot

August 18, 2019

Diversion ProgramsPhillip ReevesAugust 18, 2019The Virginian Pilot, Virginia, Virginia Beach, Tidewater Youth Services CommissionComment

What Juvenile Justice Needs: Care, Not Cages

“We need a new vision for youth justice, one with love as its organizing principle that defines healing, restoration and renewal as its core objectives. This vision challenges the notion that youth who have been involved in and impacted by violence must be incarcerated to achieve public safety. In short, such a new vision asks what we would want for our own children.“

Governing Institute

August 16, 2019

Diversion ProgramsPhillip ReevesAugust 16, 2019Governing Institute, D.C.Comment

What Juvenile Justice Needs: Care, Not Cages

“A critical resource in this equation was a credible messenger -- a community-rooted, transformative mentor who shares similar life experiences with the youth they engage. Credible messengers build trusting relationships with youth and families as they guide them through a process of growth, taking accountability for harm caused, and redemption.“

Governing Institute

August 16, 2019

Diversion ProgramsPhillip ReevesAugust 16, 2019Governing Institute, DCComment

Presidential Candidates Are Refusing To Address One Issue: The Country's Juvenile Justice System

“While many of the regulations and protocol surrounding juvenile justice are state-based, the widespread issues are national. There are far too many American children incarcerated, given a record, neglected from developmental resources, then expected to re-enter society with an understanding of how to behave. Perhaps, instead of debating tweets, it’s time for our country’s “leaders” to thoughtfully discuss changes to our agencies and systems that foster America’s youth.“

Forbes

July 31, 2019

Juvenile IncarcerationPhillip ReevesJuly 31, 2019Forbes, 2020 ElectionComment

This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades – Until Now

“Since 2001, the Riverside County, California probation department has been needlessly funneling young people struggling with grades, behavior, trauma, and mental health into the criminal justice system. This direct line to the criminal system is the product of a partnership between local school districts and the county probation department called the Youth Accountability Team (YAT). “

ACLU

July 25, 2019

Education, OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesJuly 25, 2019ACLU, California, Riverside CountyComment

Governor signs sweeping juvenile justice bill into law

“The bill had broad support from a cross-section of organizations and leaders. Leaders of the Oregon Department of Corrections and the Oregon Youth Authority supported it and so did the association that represents juvenile department directors. Dozens of retired Circuit Court and appellate judges from across the state submitted a letter to the Legislature encouraging a yes vote.“

The Oregonian

July 22, 2019

Juvenile IncarcerationPhillip ReevesJuly 22, 2019Oregon, The OregonianComment

Brooklyn Students, NYPD Work Together on Their Neighborhoods

“This program helps police officers take that initiative a few steps further by creating a deeper bond between two different groups of people, Maddrey said. Now, officers are taking an interest in young people, following up and being a part of their life.“

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange

July 16, 2019

Diversion Programs, EducationPhillip ReevesJuly 16, 2019Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, NYPD, BrooklynComment

An inside look at Sacramento’s Youth Detention Facility, named best in nation after turnaround

“Only the barbed wire encircling the area showed the difference. The frequent use of the pool, built along with the facility in 1963, is now part of a series of progressive, rehabilitative programs that contributed to the 2018 Barbara Allen-Hagen Award, which recognizes youth detention centers that display a heightened focus on positive outcomes rather than punishment.“

Sacramento Bee

July 4, 2019

Juvenile Incarceration, Prison ProgramsPhillip ReevesJuly 4, 2019Sacramento Bee, California, SacramentoComment

Louisiana hoping to build new youth prisons to replace old, unsafe lockups; advocates concerned

“‘We agree that Bridge City and Swanson need to be closed; they’re too large, outdated and dangerous,’ said Rachel Gassert, the policy director for the children's rights center. But she also notes there is ‘no evidence that a youth prison model really works that well to rehabilitate children’.“

The Advocate

July 4, 2019

Juvenile IncarcerationPhillip ReevesJuly 4, 2019The Advocate, LouisianaComment

Washington, D.C., Prosecutors Launch Restorative Justice Program For Juveniles

“Prosecutors here in Washington, D.C., are trying a new approach to handling kids who get on the wrong side of the law. They have launched a program called Restorative Justice. It connects young people with their victims in order to find a way forward. The idea is that justice doesn't always have to involve punishment or retribution. And if the process works, the juvenile offender walks away with a clean criminal record. But as NPR's Carrie Johnson reports, it is not always easy.“

NPR

July 2, 2019

Prison ProgramsPhillip ReevesJuly 2, 2019NPR, DC, Restorative JusticeComment