As a teen, Miguel Rodriguez used graffiti to express himself and “to prove to the world that he existed,” the now 20-year-old told Youth Today. But, at age 13 his interest in graffiti turned into a vandalism arrest, where he spent several weeks in detention and 18 months on probation.
Summit Rallies Young People to Become Juvenile Justice Advocates Read Full Article »
Julie Biehl, director of the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University, panned one glaring contributor to Illinois’ soaring rates of sexual abuse in youth prisons: the lack of advocacy on the part of incarcerated children.
Lawmakers Call to Arm Prison Rape Victims with Legal Aid Read Full Article »
Illinois state legislators are considering reforms to the youth prison system to address sexual abuse that was brought to light in a recent federal study.
Illinois lawmakers looking at high incidence of sexual abuse in youth prisons Read Full Article »
Illinois is among the four worst states in the U.S. for the rates of sexual abuse of juveniles being held in state custody.
Ill. among 4 worst states for sex abuse of juveniles in state custody Read Full Article »
“Disgusting” and “disturbing” are two words that were used quite a bit today, as the Illinois House Restorative Justice Committee held an emergency hearing to talk about the findings of a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics on sexual abuse in the Illinois juvenile justice system. According to the report released last month, Illinois is among the four worst states in the country when it comes to juveniles being sexually abused while in detention facilities.
State panel holds hearing on sex abuse in juvenile detention centers Read Full Article »
This past week, the House and Senate Appropriators approved substantial reductions in juvenile justice funding, including critical funding to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system. The House bill contains only $20 million for all states to implement Title II of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The Senate bill recommends $50 million. Both are well below the president’s proposed $70 million.
On July 30, approximately 50 people gathered outside the Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle St., to participate in a silent protest against the sexual abuse of incarcerated youth.
Activists protest sexual abuse of incarcerated youth Read Full Article »
Rep. Bobby Rush began by asking, “Where are the wise men and wise women?”
Then he answered: “I believe a lot of them are gathered here today.”
Urban violence summit held at Chicago State Read Full Article »
Reinvestment in struggling neighborhoods – from educational opportunities to jobs to health care access – could give young people a sense of hope and help stem violence plaguing Chicago and other cities, according to those who attended a summit Friday on urban violence.
Summit on urban violence in Chicago eyes solutions Read Full Article »
Law enforcement reminders of the consequences of criminal behavior are supposed to curb illegal activity, but some of these intimidation strategies may be backfiring, especially among youth.
In the latest study of stop and frisk policies, in which law enforcement randomly stop individuals for questioning even if they aren’t engaged in criminal activity, researchers found that those who were stopped were more likely than those who were not to engage in delinquent behavior later on.
Behavior ‘Stop and Frisk’ Stirs Up, Rather than Deters, Youth Crime Read Full Article »
