juvenile justice
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Watch: History of the Juvenile Justice System
America incarcerates more juveniles than any country in the world. In 2015, black children were five times more likely than white children to be incarcerated. So while 86 of 100,000 white children in the United States were behind bars, 433 of 100,000 black children found themselves locked up. To understand how we got here, let’s…
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Virginia Lawmakers Want to Dismantle Their ‘School-to-Prison Pipeline’
One of Virginia’s newest state delegates is working on a series of bills that would disrupt the “school-to-prison pipeline” in a state that recently led the country in referring students to the legal system. The Washington Post used the example of Ryan Turk, an eighth-grader from Prince William County, to illustrate the severity of Virginia’s problems.…
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Our Elected Officials Must Give Children 2nd Chances
Just last week, 71-year-old Henry Montgomery found out he would spend yet another Christmas behind bars in Louisiana. He has spent more than 50 Christmases there, but he thought this year might be different. The parole board was set to hear his case for release, but on the day of the hearing, the board delayed…
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#FreeBresha: Bresha Meadows Happy With Plea Deal, Says ‘Today Is a Great Day’
Updated Monday, May 22, 2017, 6:48 p.m. EDT: Bresha Meadows hugged her loved ones and attorneys after her hearing today and said, “Today is a good day.” The 15-year-old had just accepted a plea deal that could see her back home and with her family at the beginning of 2018. She has spent the last…
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Fla. Teen Charged With Manslaughter After Accidentally Shooting and Killing His 13-Year-Old Sister: Report
A 17-year-old boy from Florida City, Fla., is facing a manslaughter charge after he accidentally shot and killed his younger sister on his birthday Tuesday night, police said. Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta told Local 10 that Martaevious Santiago called 911 to report that he had shot his 13-year-old sister, and when Florida City police…
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State of NY Raises the Age of People Charged and Sentenced as Adults
Lawmakers in the state of New York voted on Sunday to raise the age of criminal responsibility as part of a $153 billion budget deal that was worked out nine days after the fiscal year began. AM New York reports that the budget was approved after debates between lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo over key…