Blog Oct 4, 2011
Annie E. Casey Foundation: No place for kids
Today, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released their newest publication, No Place for Kids: The Case for Reducing Juvenile Incarceration . It presents a fresh review of juvenile justice in America, and makes future recommendations for improving the system. Highlights include: ~ Roughly 60,500 youths in America are confined in correctional facilities (according to a 2007 census, and not including youths confined temporarily in detention centers). ~ Two of every five confined youths are…
Blog Sep 30, 2011
CA Policy: Playing the game
The Justice Policy Institute published its report, Gaming the System , in June 2011, documenting the political strategies employed by the private prison industry to promote national incarceration-driven criminal justice policies. The publication highlighted three approaches to influencing policy, including: ~ Campaign Contributions ~ Lobbying ~ Relationships and Associations How does it work in California? I have been writing a series of blogs documenting various lobbying efforts in…
The 19th report of the Special Master , in the ongoing Farrell v. Cate lawsuit to reform California’s Division of Juvenile Facilities (DJF) was released early September. A major theme I discovered was the lack of DJF’s ability to provide for those individuals with special needs, particularly in the areas of special education, mental health, and wards with physical and mental disabilities. While these populations may be more challenging to serve than the general population, the presence of…
Blog Sep 27, 2011
Give me that old time religion III
In my previous two blogs I wrote about the investigations surrounding several so-called “Christian” homes for “troubled teens” as reported by Kathryn Joyce . As shocking as these cases are, they are really nothing new, for such abuse extends far back in the history of juvenile justice. The victims — conveniently called “troubled teens” (thereby justifying their incarceration, all “for their own good”) — are like other teenage victims: they are at the mercy of adults who ostensibly love and…
Blog Sep 23, 2011
CA Policy: Beware of vigilante policymaking
There is no disputing that victims of crime deserve to have a voice in the criminal justice system. Organizations like Crime Victims United of California (CVUC) offer an opportunity for victims to convene and access a legal system that can otherwise be difficult to penetrate. In addition, CVUC has taken its victim advocacy to the legislature. CVUC states it is the only organization of its kind, “and its team of expert lobbyists actively engage in the legislative process — to ensure that…