juvenile justice
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SCOTUS Has Shown More Mercy to Juvenile Defendants in the Last 20 Years. A New Case Could Reverse That
Today marks the final day of voting in this year’s presidential election, considered by many to be the most consequential of our lifetimes. But no matter what result (or lack thereof) we wake up to on Wednesday, some of the ramifications of President Donald Trump’s actions will last well past the next presidential term. There…
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Black Youth Released From Juvenile Detention Facilities at a Lower Rate Than White Kids During Pandemic
In the early days of the pandemic, there was a sustained push to release those incarcerated in the nation’s jails, prisons and juvenile detention facilities. Unfortunately, that momentum has slowed and, in the case of juvenile detention centers, Black youth have disproportionately been left behind, according to a new report. Released by the Annie E.…
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Judge Denies Release for 15-Year-Old Detained for Not Doing Homework
It’s truly disheartening how quickly the American judicial system works to lock Black youth up. If you had any skepticism about how efficiently the school-to-prison pipeline works, the case of a 15-year-old girl in Michigan who was sent to juvenile detention for not doing her homework should quickly dispel it. Her case has generated national…
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Following Viral Article, More Than 30,000 Call for Release of Black Teen Incarcerated for Not Doing Her Schoolwork
Earlier this week, ProPublica and the Detroit Free Press published a story about a 15-year-old Black girl, identified only as Grace, who is currently detained in a Michigan juvenile detention center for not keeping up with her schoolwork. The article, which went viral, chronicled the struggles between Grace, her mother and the legal system leading…
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Supreme Court to Decide When It's Appropriate to Give Juveniles Life Without Parole
Sentencing children to life in prison with no possibility of release has long been a controversial aspect of the American justice system. Now, it appears the Supreme Court is set to weigh in on when it’s appropriate. The New York Times reports, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not a judge must deem a…
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Juvenile Fines and Fees Undermine the Entire Notion of Family in Courts Across the U.S.
“His mother works at Giant Food Store and his stepfather works at USPS. He can pay the court costs.” Those were the words I heard a Maryland judge utter as she imposed juvenile court fines and fees on the young black man standing before her. There was no inquiry into his family’s expenses—rent, bills, or…
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Supremes to Review Whether Lee Boyd Malvo, Serving Life as Accomplice to the DC Sniper, Deserves a New Sentence
The nation’s highest court on Wednesday is set to review the life sentences handed down in the early aughts to a then-teenage Lee Boyd Malvo, convicted of multiple murders as an active accomplice of John Allen Muhammad, the serial killer known as the D.C. Sniper—a review that has even won the support of some whom…
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#DodgeBallWhileBlack: 10-Year-Old Black Boy Charged With a Crime for Playing Dodge Ball
In the latest case of what one apparently cannot do and be black in this country, a 10-year-old black child is facing an assault charge because he (allegedly) hit another child (and, yes, a white child) in the face while playing a game of dodge ball. The black child’s mom, Cameishi Lindley, tells WXYZ 7…