Juvenile Justice

Schools start to rethink zero tolerance policies

It started with a snowball, tossed from a group of high school students playing in the first snowfall of winter. The snowball ended up hitting a teacher standing about 20 yards from the group. It was a seemingly innocent act, one that the teacher might have laughed off. Instead, the…

Aug 1, 2014 10:30 AM CDT

Police refuse to execute warrant for photos of youth’s erection in sexting case

Updated: Criminally charged over allegations he texted an explicit video to his 15-year-old girlfriend, a 17-year-old Virginia youth is now fighting the prosecution’s effort to take photos of his erect penis for evidentiary purposes, under a warrant approved by a juvenile court judge, his lawyer says. The unidentified defendant’s trial…

Jul 10, 2014 4:31 PM CDT

Sheriff’s employees punished after teens are left in courthouse lockup without food or toilet paper

A Georgia sheriff says employees responsible for leaving two teens in a courthouse lockup over the weekend, without access to food or toilet paper, have been suspended, demoted or transferred. Douglas County Sheriff Phil Miller announced the punishment and said new policies and procedures will prevent any similar incidents in…

Jul 10, 2014 1:27 PM CDT

Civil rights groups sue feds to get lawyers for juveniles in deportation hearings

Civil rights groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Seattle against Attorney General Eric Holder and other U.S. officials. They contend it is “fundamentally unfair” to require children facing deportation hearings to proceed without legal representation and are seeking a court order requiring the Department of Justice to…

Jul 9, 2014 4:40 PM CDT

Girl, 12, charged in ‘Slender Man’ attempted-murder case is incompetent, doctors agree

One of two 12-year-old Wisconsin girls charged as adults with stabbing a 12-year-old friend 19 times after a sleepover is incompetent to stand trial, doctors for both the government and the defense agree. They will now evaluate her mental condition at the time of the crime, setting the stage for…

Jul 2, 2014 8:45 PM CDT

Lawyers for girls, 12, charged in murder-attempt case seek transfer to juvenile court

Lawyers representing two 12-year-old Wisconsin girls who are charged as adults with attempted first-degree murder in the stabbing of a friend after a sleepover are seeking to have their cases transferred to juvenile court. One of the two girls will also undergo a competency test in the Waukesha County Circuit…

Jun 12, 2014 2:45 PM CDT

2 girls, 12, face first-degree murder-attempt case; police say they hoped to please horror character

Two 12-year-old girls in Waukesha, Wisconsin, are facing attempted first-degree murder charges, as adults, after police say they stabbed a 12-year-old friend 19 times after a Friday home sleepover in celebration of a birthday. Given permission by the mom in charge to go play in a nearby park the next…

Jun 3, 2014 6:19 PM CDT

Out of 257 Chicago-area juveniles charged as adults over a 2-year period, 1 was white

Out of 257 Cook County, Ill., cases between 2010 and 2012 where juveniles were charged as adults, one involved a white defendant, according to a study (PDF) released Tuesday by the Juvenile Justice Initiative. Eighty-three percent of the defendants were black, and most of the cases in the study were…

Apr 22, 2014 7:02 PM CDT

Racial imbalance feeds school-to-prison pipeline

Students of color, particularly boys, are suspended and expelled at alarming rates and zero-tolerance school discipline policies fail the communities they serve, said several speakers on a panel at this year’s ABA Midyear Meeting. Black students are 3.5 times more likely to be expelled than white students, said Nancy Heitzeg,…

Apr 1, 2014 6:10 AM CDT

Man fleeing police with juvenile detention escapee crashed into courthouse, news reports say

A police chase in Louisiana ended abruptly Thursday when the vehicle officers were pursuing crashed into the Vermilion Parish Courthouse. Police said the driver suffered a broken leg in the crash, and the courthouse sustained minor damage when the vehicle caught fire after it crashed into a column on the…

Mar 27, 2014 9:35 PM CDT

School to pay $70K to teen pressured to provide passwords after Facebook post critiqued staff member

A Minnesota girl has won a $70,000 settlement in a federal civil rights case. Riley Stratton, now 15, contended her First Amendment right to free speech was violated when she was given detention for criticizing a hall monitor on Facebook outside of school and allegedly pressured by school officials and…

Mar 25, 2014 7:45 PM CDT

Judge is indicted, accused of making false residency claim

A Louisiana judge was indicted (PDF) on Thursday, accused of falsely claiming in an affidavit that she was a “domicilliary” of Orleans Parish. In fact, the government contends, Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge Yolanda King lives in St. Tammany Parish. She was elected last year in a runoff against Doug…

Mar 21, 2014 5:35 PM CDT

High schooler submits amicus brief in juvenile-lifer case to Michigan Supreme Court

The Michigan Supreme Court has accepted a teen’s amicus brief written on behalf of 450 students—85 percent of the student body—at her Catholic high school in Ann Arbor. The principal author was Matilyn Sarosi, 16, who worked on the brief during several recent snow days, according to a story by…

Feb 20, 2014 4:32 PM CST

ABA resolution urges laws to stop foster kids from transitioning to homelessness

Governments should enact laws and policies to prevent homelessness when foster kids age out of the system, according to a resolution passed on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. Resolution 109A says governments and courts should provide support for housing assistance to young adults who turn 18 while in…

Feb 10, 2014 5:00 PM CST

ABA resolution backs access to effective appellate representation for juveniles

Juveniles in delinquency cases, including juveniles who qualify for public defender services, should have access to effective appellate representation, according to a resolution approved by the ABA House of Delegates on Monday. Resolution 103A says juveniles should have access to appeals consistent with state statutes and state constitutional provisions. A…

Feb 10, 2014 4:21 PM CST