May 21, 2012
Governor now wants to keep juvenile lockups open
Governor now wants to keep juvenile lockups open San Francisco Chronicle, May 20, 2012
Blog May 17, 2012
CJCJ response to Governor Brown’s May budget revise
On May 14, 2012 Governor Brown released the May revision to the budget for fiscal year 2012⁄13. The revision retracted both his original proposal for full juvenile justice realignment and the budget triggers that were implemented last year. The revised budget includes important juvenile justice reform measures. The proposal institutes a $24,000 annual per youth fee for utilizing state facilities; representing 13% of the total cost. As overuse of state facilities by some counties has created…
May 16, 2012
Who’s crowding California’s jails
Who’s crowding California’s jails KPCC, May 15, 2012
Blog May 16, 2012
Social class and education
In my last blog I discussed the importance of social class as a determinant of everything that matters in life. In this blog I quote a study that stated “Poverty and social disadvantage are most strongly associated with deficits in children’s cognitive skills and educational achievements.” Social class strongly correlates with the level of education one receives including the probability of dropping out, which in turn strongly relates to crime and delinquency. Two recent studies further…
In 2010, 71 percent of California’s jail population were those offenders who were unsentenced and awaiting resolution of their cases. This figure not only exceeds the pretrial detainee national average, but also represents a major shift away from the traditional use of jails where inmates are detained as a form of punishment. However, many of these pretrial detainees are not being held because they have been determined to be a danger to society or represent a flight risk. Rather, they remain…
May 14, 2012
Bullying not gay teens’ key problem
Bullying not gay teens’ key problem Politico, May 11, 2012
May 11, 2012
Misconceptions about high-risk youth offenders
Misconceptions about high-risk youth offenders California Progress Report, May 11, 2012
Blog May 10, 2012
Misconceptions about high-risk youth offenders
The High Desert Daily Press featured a three-part story last week exploring how San Bernardino County prosecutes, supervises, and rehabilitates their juvenile offenders. Daily Press reporter Beatriz E. Valenzuela looked at patterns of juvenile crime and arrest reductions, the unbridled powers of local district attorneys to “direct file” juveniles into adult court , and the impact of adult realignment and Governor Brown’s juvenile realignment plan on local corrections systems. The facts…
May 9, 2012
County approves jail contracts
County approves jail contracts Daily Journal, May 9, 2012
Blog May 9, 2012
Class counts
A recent CJCJ blog by Selena Teji brings up a point that is rarely discussed these days, namely “social class” which is two words rarely heard in public discourse — except when republicans holler about “class warfare.” Social class does count — a lot more than anything else. Indeed, social class is one of the most important factors in human life. Social class position has some direct and indirect consequences, especially in terms of what sociologists refer to as life chances (which is…
Blog May 8, 2012
Perceived improvements to confinement
It’s all relative, as the saying goes. It is true that there have been recent improvements to California’s youth correctional facilities, Division of Juvenile Facilities (DJF). Youth are no longer being fed blender meals and are no longer being educated in cages as they were just a less than a decade ago. However, the recently touted successes include meeting provisionary goals as outlined in the 21st Special Master Report of the Farrell lawsuit, such as developing implementation plans and…
Juvenile realignment: is local supervision the answer? Victorville Daily Press, May 4, 2012