corrections

Michigan, one of the last four states to consider all 17-year-olds to be adults in the eyes of the law, will soon raise its age of jurisdiction to 18. “Today I signed the bipartisan “Raise the Age” legislative package, which raises the age of who is considered an adult under the criminal justice system from 17 to 18 years old,” said Gov.

          Note: This article has been updated with results for each ballot measure. Today’s much-anticipated elections include 36 gubernatorial races, and House and Senate campaigns that could change the balance of power in Washington.

In Youth Services Insider’s opinion, there are two glaring blind spots when it comes to data about how the child welfare and juvenile justice systems impact kids. One is the success rate of adoptions from foster care.

A class-action lawsuit announced today accuses the Wisconsin Department of Corrections of housing nearly one-fifth of its juvenile wards in solitary confinement, often for unnamed or minor offenses, and wantonly using chemical restraints on incarcerated youths.

The Vera Institute of Justice, using a $2.2 million matching grant from the Justice Department, is working with five state corrections departments on reducing the use of solitary confinement of prisoners, a strategy that is disproportionately employed on young wards.

John Valverde, who began a career improving services for offenders during his own 16-year prison term, will succeed YouthBuild USA founder Dorothy Stoneman when she retires in January. YouthBuild USA is the national provider of assistance and support to about 250 YouthBuild sites in the United States and another 80 programs in 21 other countries. 

On Friday, a group of juvenile justice advocates will gather in D.C. to promote the closure of large juvenile justice prisons in favor of community-based corrections and small, close-to-home facilities. That, in and of itself, is not news.

Twenty years ago, in a speech at Keene State College in New Hampshire, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton made a comment about juvenile crime that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called her out on in Monday’s debate.

In the wake of a presidential debate where both candidates were asked pointedly about criminal justice policy, it seems fitting to point out that a recent poll in America’s most populous swing state shows clear support for shielding more juvenile offenders from the adult criminal justice system.