Blog May 15, 2010
The $100,000 bed
About a week ago someone sent me a story in the Pahrump Valley Times about a proposed new jail. For those not familiar with Pahrump, it is a town of about 25,000 located about 60 miles west of Las Vegas. The County Commissioners decided to issue $25.5 million in general obligation bonds for the project. The proposed jail would hold about 225 people. That turns out to be $113,000 per bed. The report noted that the County “will take advantage of Build America Bonds under the American…
Blog May 12, 2010
Therapy that Works for the Youth
Senior Research Fellow Randy Shelden’s recent blog, titled ” The Washington State Institute for Public Policy researched a program that has demonstrated the ability to be successful with juvenile justice involved youth with mental health issues. The results are in…Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) does reduce recidivism, thus reducing the related costs to taxpayers. DBT, devised by Marsha Linehan, to treat clients with Borderline Personality Disorders is composed of four major modules:…
Experts agree Hayes would have tough time getting paroled Stockton Reporter, May 8, 2010.
Experts agree Hayes would have tough time getting paroled The Stockton Record, May 8, 2010
In the early 2000’s several reports began to document the existence of thousands of juveniles with diagnosed mental health issues sitting in detention facilities waiting for placement in a mental health facility. For instance, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette surveyed 172 detention centers nationally and found that more than 40% of them “said children with mental health problems stay in detention longer than others because placements can’t be found for them.” The director of a detention center in…
Blog Apr 30, 2010
Juvenile Justice Can be a Death Trap for Kids
We’ve always known that locking up kids is counterproductive, that it promotes isolation and lethargy among youths confined, and that it results in harsher treatment by decision makers throughout the process. Terry Kupers, an expert on trauma, has observed that these institutions tend to destroy “a prisoner’s ability to cope in the free world.” Moreover, “a lack of rehabilitation opportunities, excessive reliance on isolation as punishment, the restriction of visits and contacts with the…
Blog Apr 30, 2010
Death Penalty Vs Life Imprisonment
Death in Decline ’09 a report by The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California explores life imprisonment as an alternative to the death penalty. It also makes a correlation between the present financial crisis and fair trials. CJCJ’s recently released “Capital punishment has a mandatory three level review process, thus a death penalty case may take between 25 to 30 years before execution with a reaching costs of up to $137 million per year. For example, the resources…
Blog Apr 20, 2010
Marijuana: To Legalize or Not to Legalize
Today is April 20, 2010, also known as 4⁄20. Many consider today an unofficial holiday: National Marijuana Day. Since today is 4⁄20, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) thought no other day would be more appropriate to educate people on the fiscal and legal implications of legalizing marijuana in California. CJCJ is in no way advocating for the use of non-medicinal marijuana, however, I feel it is critical to be fully informed on the matter. As part of our various public…
CJCJ has just released a broadcast on marijuana legalization in California, as part of our newest component to our public education efforts. Our broadcasts provide quick and easy access to key information on pressing criminal and juvenile justice matters, in an understandable and easy to relate fashion. Listen to staff Ashley Afferino interview CJCJ Program Director and SF Reentry Commissioner Gerald Miller on the topic of
In 1980, before California and the United States embarked on a massive “War on Drugs” to arrest and imprison rising tens of thousands of drug users, a total of 1,480 residents died from overdoses or chronic abuse of illicit drugs. That constituted 7.7% of the state’s death toll from all external causes (that is, accidents, suicides, murders, and violent deaths of undetermined intent). After nearly three decades of drug war, just-released Center for Health Statistics figures show a record 4,196…
Apr 14, 2010
Close the CA Division of Juvenile Justice
Close the CA Division of Juvenile Justice California Correctional Crisis Blog, April 14, 2010.
The March 2010, the American Constitution Society (ACS) released, “A Just Alternative to Sentencing Youth to Life in Prison Without the Possibility of Parole ” that provides three arguments against utilizing life without the possibility of parole for youth. The issue brief also recommends state policy reform options. Youth are different from adults. The Court recognizes that youth differ from adults biologically and should be treated as such. Scientists suggest that youth differ from adults…