Skip to main content

Create an account or sign in:

Subscribe (What is this?)

Newsroom

Stolen Futures - Seventeen
8/31/2010 by The Chicago Reporter
by Angela Caputo
As police pinned Derrick Reed to the hood of a squad car, one thought raced through his mind: “Oh, man. I’m going to go away. I’m 17 now.” The East Garfield Park teen’s…
Opinion: Young Offenders are Different
8/27/2010 by The News-Star (Monroe, Louisiana)
by Dana Kaplan
Currently in Louisiana there are 897 individuals behind bars for crimes committed as juveniles. Of these 897, almost half, 394, were prosecuted as adults, bypassing the juvenile justice system…
Editorial: Recommit to Serving Troubled Teens
8/3/2010 by The Daily Herald
It's been nearly a year since a 16-year-old boy took his own life inside a state youth prison in St. Charles. Nearly a year to look at what went wrong. Nearly a year for change to happen. We've…
Illinois Governor Quinn Signs “Sexting” Law
7/19/2010 by Illinois Statehouse News
by Kevin Lee
(Illinois Models for Change note: The Juvenile Justice Initiative and other Illinois Models for Change partners helped educate lawmakers about the need to revise sex offender laws and provide…
Illinois Governor Quinn Names Acting Juvenile Justice Director
7/16/2010 by Office of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 16, 2010 Governor Quinn Names Acting Juvenile Justice Director Veteran Administrator, Child Welfare Expert Arthur Bishop to Lead Agency Merger with the Department of…
Legislation Would Set Standard for Juvenile Detention
6/17/2010 by The News Star
by Matthew Hamilton
The Louisiana Legislature has passed a bill that would set standards for juvenile detention facilities, one of the long-deferred promises from the state's landmark juvenile justice reform…
Supreme Court Decision Could Affect La. Inmates
5/18/2010 by The Shreveport Times
by Gannett News Service
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision on juvenile life sentences will affect incarcerated youth in Louisiana, though the exact number remains uncertain. The court issued its decision Monday in Graham…
Ogle County Juvenile Diversion Programs See Success
5/15/2010 by Freeport Journal-Standard
by Travis Morse
Oregon, Ill. — To Sherri Egan, Ogle County’s new emphasis on diversion programs for non-violent juvenile offenders, as opposed to incarceration, has had a positive impact on the community…
The Hard Labor of Reform: Despite Progress, Juvenile Justice Overhaul Still Lags Original Vision
4/26/2010 by The News Star
by Matthew Hamilton
Louisiana's juvenile justice reformers put the fate of children above all else in their founding document. "The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the children and families of Louisiana are…
Young Offenders Need Help -- Not Handcuffs
4/15/2010 by Chicago Sun-Times
More than a few young people caught up in crime, when you get right down to it, suffer from a mental illness or are drug abusers. They may become hardened criminals some day, but they are more lost…
Taking Responsibility for Youth Justice
4/12/2010 by Chicago Tribune
by Elizabeth Clarke, President, Juvenile Justice Initiative
Tribune readers should have been shocked to learn that more than 10 percent of the youths in state prisons have served their sentences but remain locked up because the state agency responsible for…
Effective Strategy on Juvenile Crime Has Southern Illinois Roots
4/8/2010 by The Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, Illinois
by The Southern Illinoisan
Our View: New approach to juvenile justice in Illinois is neither "soft" nor "tough" on crime. It looks at the whole juvenile and is "smart" on crime. When Chief Circuit Judge George Timberlake…
The Children of Transfer
3/26/2010
by Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
In Louisiana there are currently 897 people incarcerated for crimes committed before their 17th birthday. Of these 897, 394 are currently incarcerated in adult prisons. "The Children of Transfer"…
Kids Killing kids
3/15/2010 by Chicago Tribune
The lost boys look crisp in T-shirts and desert-tan dungarees. The black letters that spill down one leg of each trousers, "IDOC," mark Bill Bigeck and Eddie Morfin as wards of the Illinois…
Illinois Increases Juvenile Court Age Cutoff to 17
3/12/2010 by Chicago Tribune
by Jeff Long
When a 17-year-old girl was caught stealing $300 worth of clothing at a mall a few weeks ago, she was charged with a misdemeanor in juvenile court. Before Jan. 1, she could have been in even bigger…
Scandals Highlight the Need for Juvenile Justice Reform
3/4/2010 by Illinois Issues
by Jamey Dunn
Just a few months ago, it looked as if the scandal surrounding the “Meritorious Good Time Push” prisoner-release program could cost Gov. Pat Quinn a win in the primary election. Under the…
Outreach Group Matches Homeless Teens With Adults
2/24/2010 by WBBM-TV, Chicago
by Kristyn Hartman
CHICAGO -- It's tough enough growing up, but imagine having to find your way to adulthood homeless, and without a mom or dad. It happens to thousands of kids in Chicago each year. Would you be…
New Law Helps Teeens Avoid Criminal Record
2/12/2010 by WBBM-TV, Chicago
by Dorothy Tucker
CHICAGO -- You're arrested. You're charged. But thanks to a new law in Illinois, you won't have a criminal record. CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports on the new life-changing rules for thousands of…
Reforming Juvenile Justice
2/1/2010 by The New York Times
by Tracy Velázquez
To the Editor: Re “Seeking to Send Fewer Youths to Jail, City Shifts Strategy on Delinquency” (news article, Jan. 21): It’s past time for acknowledging that America’s…
Juvenile Law Center Strives for Justice Reform
12/28/2009 by The Legal Intelligencer
by Robert Schwartz
The Juvenile Law Center's highly publicized work on behalf of thousands of Luzerne County teens is of obvious import. It also has its ironies. Since 2004, the Juvenile Law Center has been the "lead…
OJJDP Invites Comments on Proposed FY 2010 Program Plan
12/2/2009 by The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published a Notice of its Proposed Plan for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 …
Developmental Psychologist Says Teenagers Are Different
12/1/2009 by The New York Times
by Claudia Dreifus
Laurence Steinberg, a developmental psychologist at Temple University in Philadelphia, is one of the leading experts in the United States on adolescent behavior and adolescent brain biology. Dr.…
James Rieland Honored for Exceptional Contributions to Juvenile Justice Reform in Pennsylvania
11/23/2009
by Models for Change Pennsylvania
James J. Rieland, Director of Allegheny County Probation and critical fixture in Pennsylvania’s Models for Change initiative, has been awarded the Dennis M. Maloney Award for his exceptional…
Saving young offenders is project's goal
10/21/2009 by Sauk Valley Newspapers, Dixon and Sterling, Illinois
The criminal justice system in Ogle County is trying a new cooperative approach to discourage juvenile offenders from committing more crimes. The initiative is an effort by the Ogle County…
Unprecedented Agreement Reached to Assist Juveniles
10/13/2009
by Ogle County Juvenile Justice Council
OREGON, IL – Juveniles running into trouble with the law in Ogle County are finding law enforcement and probation officers coming to their assistance. Members of the Ogle County Juvenile…
Ogle County State's Attorney Ben Roe Named to State Task Force
9/29/2009
by Ogle County Juvenile Justice Council
Oregon, IL - Ogle County State’s Attorney John B. “Ben” Roe has been appointed to a new state task force to study whether 17-year-olds charged with felony offenses should be tried…
Promising Models for Reforming Juvenile Justice Systems
9/8/2009 by The Huffington Post
by Marian Wright Edelman
Nationally, one in three Black boys and one in six Latino boys born in 2001 are at risk of going to prison during their lifetimes. Although boys are more than five times as likely to be incarcerated…
California to close its largest juvenile prison
8/28/2009 by Los Angeles Times
by Michael Rothfeld
The Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility in Chino will be converted into an adult prison. The move is part of a plan to 'right-size' staff at the Division of Juvenile Justice. Reporting from…
Locking Up Fewer Children
8/14/2009 by New York Times
by Editorial
In the 1990s, states and localities began sending more and more children to juvenile lockups, often for months, while they awaited trial for nonviolent offenses or even noncriminal behavior like…
Governor and General Assembly Recognize Need to Improve the Effectiveness of Reintegration of Youth Offenders
8/12/2009
by Juvenile Justice Initiative
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Gov. Pat Quinn has approved with changes legislation aimed at reducing recidivism by young offenders and improving the safety of their home communities. Senate Bill 1725…
National Initiative Keeping Youths Out of Jail, Report Says
8/6/2009 by Washington Post
by Henri E. Cauvin
A national juvenile justice initiative is helping reduce the number of young offenders being jailed after arrest, according to a new report by the foundation that has backed the effort. But in the…
New Report Documents Dramatic Reductions in Youth Detention
8/5/2009 by Salem-News
Reformers Gather in DC to Review Progress. (BALTIMORE, Md.) - A new report released by the Annie C. Casey Foundation shows that two decades of juvenile justice reform have reduced youth detention,…
12 and in Prison
7/27/2009 by New York Times
by Editorial
The Supreme Court sent an important message when it ruled in Roper v. Simmons in 2005 that children under the age of 18 when their crimes were committed were not eligible for the death penalty.…
Governor gets bill on procedures for expunction of juvenile arrest records
6/2/2009 by Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
by Bethany Krajelis
(Note: Need to subscribe to the journal to see the article.) SPRINGFIELD — It may not provide for the automatic expunction of juvenile records, but a measure headed to the governor's desk…
New Illinois Law Offers 17 Year-Olds Charged With Misdemeanor Chance in Juvenile Court
2/10/2009 by Juvenile Justice Initiative/Models for Change Illinois
The following press release is available for download from the Juvenile Justice Initiative website, it has been provided in full below for reference. The Juvenile Justice Initiative has also prepared…
Column: Old before their time; Why it is counterproductive to try juveniles as adults
2/3/2009 by New Orleans Times-Picayne
by Dana Kaplan, Director of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
It is a mistake of thinking that treating children as though they are adults will help, not hinder, efforts to improve public safety. Evidence demonstrates that monitoring and support services that…
Keeping Youth Out of Adult Courts Better for Children, Safer for Communities, According to New Study
6/26/2008 by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
by Juvenile Justice Initiative
(Chicago, IL) — The 2005 repeal of a state law that once forced children accused of drug offenses into adult criminal courts has not compromised public safety and, instead, has provided…
MacArthur Action Networks to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities and Mental Health in Juvenile Justice
6/19/2007 by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Chicago, IL (June 19, 2007) – The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which is investing $100 million to support and accelerate promising models of juvenile justice reform, is…
MacArthur Awards $4.2 Million to Accelerate Juvenile Justice Reform in Illinois, 3 Other States
6/15/2006 by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
CHICAGO, IL—The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced six grants totaling nearly $4.2 million to help accelerate promising models for juvenile justice reform as part of…
MacArthur Foundation Selects Illinois as "Model" State for National Juvenile Justice Reform Initiative
2/2/2006 by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Chicago, IL--The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced today that it has selected Illinois as one of four states to participate in its national initiative to accelerate promising…
$3.2 Million In Grants Made To Help Improve Juvenile Justice System
2/6/2003 by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2003 Media Contact Jennifer Humke Communications Officer Phone (312) 726-8000 Email: jhumke at macfound dot org Chicago, IL-The John D. and Catherine T.…

Get our newsletter to keep track of what is new in juvenile justice system reform.