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"How does a kid wind up in jail for an unmade bed? Ironically, the answer lies in the primary goal of the juvenile justice system: rehabilitation."

A growing body of research shows that implicit bias distorts how people perceive those around them and project stereotypes onto them, even if they’re not consciously aware of doing so. That bias informs every aspect of the criminal justice system, from who police arrest to the types of punishments that judges and prosecutors dole out.

The DOJ’s new training will incorporate three levels of instruction, to break down how implicit bias specifically impacts executives, supervisors, and people in the line of duty.

Dealing with reality can be difficult for youthful offenders once they've been released on probation, but a running club created in March by Francisco Arenas, a probation officer supervisor and grants coordinator for the Cook County Juvenile Probation Department, could help them avoid returning to the system. Organizers say Run4Change is the first program in the country to integrate physical activity, cognitive behavioral therapy and interactive peace circles, where participants share their highs and lows. Humphries was referred to the pilot program a couple of months after he was released from the detention center.

"For every 1,000 juvenile arrests in Illinois, only 3 are expunged."

Think about it: Well over half of all youth adjudicated delinquent in U.S. juvenile courts each year are sentenced to probation. Even many youth referred to juvenile court but not adjudicated (24 percent in 2013) are placed on informal probation.

Yet there is virtually no evidence that probation as commonly practiced reduces the reoffending rates of youth. Quite the contrary. As I’ll detail below, what research exists on the impact of standard-issue probation suggests that, on balance, it does nothing, or next to nothing, to reduce offending. Nonetheless, probation has remained largely unchanged in recent decades, and it remains the disposition of choice for system-involved youth.

Juvenile Justice Commission Chairman, Judge George Timberlake, Ret., writes: "Among the many advances in juvenile justice reform propelled by a developmental approach is the reduction of the school-to-prison pipeline. […] But, as in many large and complex systems affecting juvenile justice, there is still work to be done to diffuse the knowledge gained from research. Schools across America face daily mysteries as to who is guilty of rule or law infractions, and administrators are tasked with seeking the perpetrators. Like police agencies, they use information from students and often rely on admissions of guilt to “solve the case.” They sometimes adopt police practices, including interrogation techniques."

"Court evaluations, new commitments, and technical violations are three ways in which youth may be admitted to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, the state's juvenile corrections agency. This article is the first of a three-part series examining the use of incarceration to address juvenile delinquency in Illinois. Admissions to IDJJ for court evaluations is examined, including admission trends and the impact court evaluation admissions have had on the profile of committed youth."

Recent research has documented that black girls are punished at school at rates that are even more disproportionate than those experienced by black boys. For example, they are suspended six times more often than white girls. Morris calls this "a story untold," and she sets out to tell it in her new book, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools.

"Child welfare youth involved in the juvenile justice system, or dual status youth, are more likely to be charged with a crime and more likely to be detained. Once detained, dual status youth will likely spend more time in custody. Child welfare officials have a difficult time placing these youth because they are typically older with a history of multiple placements. On top of the usual teenage issues, they are likely to have mental health- and trauma-related issues."