Juvenile Detention

05/03/2012

Too young to shave, but old enough for solitary

By David Fathi, National Prison Project at 5:24pm

As any parent knows, teenagers are different than adults. This common-sense observation is backed by hard scientific evidence; we know that an adolescent’s brain continues to grow and develop well into his or her twenties. The fact that teenagers’ brains are still developing makes them especially vulnerable to trauma of all kinds, including the trauma of social isolation and sensory deprivation.

That’s why the leading American child psychiatry association just approved a policy statement opposing the use of solitary confinement in correctional facilities for juveniles. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry represents over 7,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists and other interested physicians.

03/30/2012

This Week in Civil Liberties

This Week in Civil Liberties (3/30/2012)

By Rekha Arulanantham, ACLU at 7:01pm

In which state did doctors try to force a pregnant woman to have a c-section against her wishes?

What group can no longer be held in solitary confinement in Mississippi?

How many cells compose a person according to Personhood USA's definition?

How many states oppose a national ID card?

Which federal agency illegally gathers intelligence on innocent American Muslims?

Your Body, Your Decisions — This Means You, Moms!
Recently, a mother in South Carolina reached out to the ACLU for help. She was pregnant, and although she had had two prior cesarean surgeries, she wished to attempt a "trial of labor," that is, to give birth naturally, rather than having a scheduled cesarean surgery. The mother's wish made sense in light of her medical history, and according to professional standards set by obstetricians.

03/29/2012

Solitary Confinement

"A Picture of Such Horror as Should Be Unrealized Anywhere in the Civilized World"

By Margaret Winter, National Prison Project at 1:27pm

A federal court judge has put a stop to the state of Mississippi's practice of putting kids convicted as adults in solitary confinement.

03/05/2012

Solitary Confinement

ACLU to United Nations: Solitary Confinement Violates Human Rights

By Tanya Greene, Advocacy and Policy Counsel, ACLU at 2:31pm

The ACLU's Amy Fettig appeared before the U.N. Human Rights Council today to condemn the use of solitary confinement in the United States, following a written statement we submitted last month urging the Council to address this widespread violation of human rights. Also appearing today was Juan Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, who has said before that solitary confinement can amount to torture and today called for a review and reduction of the use of solitary confinement as a matter of human rights. Mendez has also called on the United States to allow him to visit to investigate the use solitary confinement in U.S. supermax prisons; the U.S. has yet to respond.

07/14/2011

Juvenile Detention

From Filthy Boys Prison to New Beginnings: Hill Staffers Walk a Mile in Youthful Offenders' Shoes

By Jennifer Bellamy, Washington Legislative Office at 10:47am

Recently, the juvenile justice community organized a site visit to the Oak Hill Youth Center and the New Beginnings Youth Development Center in Laurel, Maryland, for key congressional staffers and staff in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), including Melodee Hanes, the office's acting Deputy Administrator.

04/19/2011

Juvenile Detention

Connecting the Dots, Protecting Kids

By Colin Petersen, Washington Legislative Office at 3:12pm

On any given day, 93,000 juvenile offenders are held in residential placement facilities. For their benefit, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) was created to help state and local governments deal with juvenile delinquency.

Additionally, the OJJDP is designed to guide the administration’s policy on juvenile justice issues.

06/28/2010

Juvenile Detention

Shining a Light into Juvenile Prisons "Before Someone Gets Hurt"

By Mie Lewis, Women's Rights Project at 12:00am

Back in 2006, I interviewed many girls who had been confined in New York’s juvenile prisons. The girls described harsh, prisonlike environments where physical force was used to punish and control them, sexual and psychological abuse occurred, and schooling was haphazard and insufficient. One girl summed up by saying: "I just want to tell people before someone gets really hurt."

12/17/2009

Juvenile Detention

A Good Day for Juvenile Justice Reform in Congress

By Ian S. Thompson, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 3:44pm

Earlier this morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to reauthorize the key federal juvenile justice law – the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). This landmark law has provided states and localities across the country with standards and support for improving juvenile justice and delinquency prevention practices - putting in place important safeguards for youth, families and communities – for 35 years.

11/19/2009

Juvenile Detention

The "Show Me" State Shows the Nation on Juvenile Justice

By Elizabeth Alexander, Elizabeth Alexander, National Prison Project at 5:02pm

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most comprehensive treaty on children's rights. The convention has been ratified by nearly every country in the world, except for the United States. The convention would fill current gaps in U.S. laws, and provide all children in America with the same robust protections that children in 193 countries are already entitled to.

08/25/2009

Juvenile Detention

Reform in New York's Juvenile Justice System

By Mie Lewis, Women's Rights Project at 4:12pm

(Originally posted on Daily Kos.)

Yesterday, the Justice Department released a damning new report (PDF) about the horrible conditions in juvenile prisons in upstate New York. The story made the front page of the New York Times, and in a related op-ed called "New York's Disgrace," the Times writes:

American Civil Liberties Union