Seriously! Why aren’t over-age and undercredited students on the list of priorities in the new I3 grant competition? The Final Priorities, Requirements, Definitions, and Selection Criteria were announced last week.  It included the following priorities: Improving the Effectiveness of Teachers or Principals; Improving Low-Performing Schools; Improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education; Improving AcademicRead More

By Sarah Boslaugh One of the greatest obstacles to reforming the juvenile justice system is the fear that “going soft” on juvenile crime will pose a threat to public safety, either by setting youthful marauders loose upon a defenseless public or by removing the supposed deterrent effect of harsh and mandatory punishments. A second obstacleRead More

We in the youth field often complain about the lack of public will to create a comprehensive youth policy that encompasses all the good things we know about youth development, as well as a robust eduployment system that provides young people that need more skills and opportunities to fully prepare them for college and careerRead More

Implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act will go a long way toward safeguarding jailed juveniles. America’s governors need to sign on. By Liz Ryan Research has found that juveniles housed in adult prisons are 36 times more likely to commit suicide than if confined in a facility for juveniles. Jonathan McClard was 16 years oldRead More

Liz Ryan just sent an update about the Comprehensive Juvenile Justice Reform Recommendations from the 300-member National Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Coalition. They’ve now been sent to the Obama Administration urging the President to restore a more effective system of juvenile justice for youth by focusing on five priority areas. You can read about the recommendations in  “Promoting Safe Communities:Read More

I’ve been waiting for this to happen the minute I saw this “zero tolerance” approach to bullying developing around the country.  I wholeheartedly believe that we need to create school cultures that are based on respect, inclusiveness, and …restorative justice. Not starting police records at earlier and earlier ages. I flinched when I saw theRead More

The interest in supporting the mental health of our young people that find themselves in the juvenile justice system has been increasing over the past year. The flurry of violence across our country is certainly increasing it. The Juvenile Justice Work Group is having a discussion with Jim Henry from Southwest Michigan’s Childrens Trauma AssessmentRead More

Liz Ryan passed on the news that on February 1st, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the Robert Listenbee, Jr to the post of Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice. Robert Listenbee, Jr. is Chief of the Juvenile Unit of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, a position heRead More

Written by: Liz Ryan on Jan 30, 2013 Four years ago, President Obama was inaugurated, and we expected that within a few months the President would nominate a permanent administrator for the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). But this past week, as President Obama renewed the oath of office, we are stillRead More

Update: This bill was passed by Congress on January 1, 2013 but was not enacted before the end of its Congressional session. Let’s see what we can make happen in 2014. On December 17th, the Uninterrupted Scholars Act, sponsored by Sen. Mary Landrieu [D-LA], passed the senate. According to GovTrack,”the House Majority Leader indicated on DecRead More