Juvenile Justice

Family sues judge who ordered teen to be handcuffed after she fell asleep

The mother of a teenage girl sued the Detroit judge who detained and handcuffed her daughter after she fell asleep during a field trip to his courtroom.

Aug 22, 2024 10:03 AM CDT

When trying to discipline teens, how much is too much?

Netflix’s Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare, released in December 2023, sounds like a cheesy 1980s slaughter-fest horror film. Sadly, the events relayed by the documentary are far from fiction.

Aug 20, 2024 8:52 AM CDT

Teen on field trip ends up in handcuffs and jail garb because judge didn’t want to be ‘played with’

A teenager sleeping during a field trip to a Detroit courtroom got a wake-up call from a judge Tuesday.

Aug 15, 2024 10:28 AM CDT

Why parents are being punished for the crimes of their children

Parental responsibility is being put to the test. The big question now remains: Where is the line, and how much parental nudging is too little?

Jul 2, 2024 2:52 PM CDT

Federal judge reprimanded for handcuffing teen spectator in scared-straight approach

A federal judge who ordered a defendant’s daughter handcuffed to warn her about the consequences of drug use has been reprimanded by the judicial council of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco.

May 2, 2024 10:58 AM CDT

Court program bets on autistic kids

In 2018, Justice Sunny Bailey created the Detention Alternative for Autistic Youth. When autistic youths arrive in the Las Vegas 8th Judicial District court charged with crimes ranging from battery to sexual assault, they have the opportunity to go to DAAY Court, which connects those children and teens with the help they need free of charge.

Apr 23, 2024 10:55 AM CDT

After bringing criminal charges again Netflix, DA winds up with federal court bad-faith finding

Cuties, a 2020 Netflix film, tells the story of an 11-year old Senegalese girl in France who comes from a devout Muslim family navigating the sometimes provocative culture of modern dance while having a devout Muslim family. Directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, a French filmmaker who like the main character, Amy,…

Jan 31, 2024 9:30 AM CST

Mother of boy arrested at age 10 for public urination won’t sign probation agreement

The mother of a 10-year-old boy arrested in Mississippi for urinating in public won’t be signing the probation agreement, according to the family’s lawyer.

Dec 21, 2023 12:14 PM CST

For 30 years, ABA Children’s Rights Litigation Committee has trained and supported kids’ lawyers

The Children’s Rights Litigation Committee “has just been a fantastic banger of the drum that kids need true representation, just like anyone else who’s inside a system that is making incredibly impactful decisions about their lives,” says Angela Vigil, the longest-serving member of the committee.

Sep 21, 2023 8:50 AM CDT

Passion for Justice: Northwestern law prof fights for juvenile rights armed with research

Julie Biehl, an ABA member since 2006, is known as a straight shooter, whose presence fills a room. “She’s a tiny woman, maybe 5’1”, but she is so fiery and so full of passion and just cares,” says Garien Gatewood, deputy mayor for community safety for the city of Chicago.

Sep 6, 2023 10:09 AM CDT

Is family court too flawed to be fixed?

Jane M. Spinak did not set out to write a book arguing for the abolition of family court. She thought that she would be making the case for a set of sensible reforms. But the more she dug into the history of the family court system, the previous attempts at reform, and the examples of real world harms that the system had caused, the more she began to believe there was no saving it.

Jul 26, 2023 8:07 AM CDT

We ‘live on a pro se planet;’ 5th Circuit allows parents to sometimes represent children without lawyers

A federal appeals court is giving a pro se parent a chance to persuade a federal judge that she may represent her minor children without a lawyer in a federal lawsuit filed against a Texas school district.

Jun 6, 2023 12:39 PM CDT

Rights Work: UChicago constitutional law course brings together incarcerated youths, law students

The eight-week class is designed to give incarcerated youths an opportunity to consider their rights while exposing the law students to the younger students’ worldview through in-class discussions on topics that include freedom of speech, due process and reproductive freedom, along with weekly mentoring sessions.

May 31, 2023 8:12 AM CDT

Former Cohen Milstein partner who led firm’s sex-abuse team charged with child-porn possession

Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll has fired a Florida partner after he was charged with possession of child pornography.

Apr 3, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

Judge Ernestine Gray created a model court that put New Orleans children and families first

“You are impacting lives in a critical way,” says Judge Ernestine Gray about working in juvenile court. “And if you are talking about children who are growing up, it’s going to help determine where they are in the future. I don’t want to look back and say, ‘If I had done X for this child, maybe they could’ve done great things.’ So in the moment where you are, do the good work.”

Apr 1, 2023 1:20 AM CDT