Blog Apr 29, 2011
Why Three Strikes Fails
While I applaud those who work to ensure that even the seemingly worst defendants are treated fairly and humanely, I’ve always seen the logic of draconian sentences for psychopaths like Richard Allen Davis (the gloating kidnapper and murderer of 12 year-old Polly Klaas in 1993 and poster-demon for the Three Strikes initiative even though the law wouldn’t have prevented his particular crime). Some people commit acts so heinous they can never be released back to society. So, when I first heard…
Blog Apr 27, 2011
Children and the Recession
The recession that we are experiencing has impacted just about everyone except for the few who have become richer (more about that later). At this point in time it is not easy to determine the impact on children since it takes time to analyze the toll. However, as more and more information has become available we can make some assessment. One recent report noted that there have been “an increasing number of children leave home for life on the streets, including many under 13. Foreclosures,…
As of March 31, 2011, there are 1,232 youths housed in DJF, yet according to the Corrections Standards Authority (CSA) in 2009 there were over 4,000 available beds at the county-level. Why then are counties resisting the Governor’s proposal to eliminate DJF? In February 2011, CJCJ launched a publication series investigating some of the concerns about the Governor’s proposed juvenile justice realignment (See Part One ). Part Two of the series was an update of two previous reports (see here…
Blog Apr 1, 2011
Education as Crime Prevention
It has become a truism among criminologists that there is an inverse correlation between education and crime: as the level of education increases the likelihood of committing crime decreases. One theory that helps explain this is known as “strain” theory. This theory was originally articulated by sociologist Robert K. Merton in the 1930s and has since become one of the most popular theories of crime. The basic thesis of strain theory is this: Crime stems from the lack of articulation or…
Blog Mar 29, 2011
Best juvenile justice practices in motion: James Ranch proves it can be done at the county level.
Santa Clara County continues to demonstrate innovative and effective juvenile justice practices that allow it to serve even its most serious juvenile offenders at the county level, begging the question: why aren’t other counties doing the same? In 2006, Santa Clara County recognized that James Ranch was a failure. It had extraordinarily high recidivism rates, due to a congregate care model that provided violence and custodial management instead of rehabilitation. The County sent serious…