ARTICLE TAG

Journalism for Social Change

5/21/2017

Counselors, Not Cops: Advocates Urge LAUSD to Increase Restorative Justice Funding

In the 2016-17 school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) budgeted $67.34 million of its $13.5 billion budget for school police. Restorative justice programming, meant to help improve student behavior and provide alternatives to suspensions, expulsions, and arrests, received only $10.81 million.

5/3/2017

Set to Graduate High School, Carlos Faces Deportation Order

For nearly two years after he arrived in the United States from Guatemala as an unaccompanied minor, Carlos* never saw an immigration attorney, including during an eight-month stint at a border detention center.

4/21/2017

Is this ‘Minority Report’ or is it the Future of Child Welfare?

Predictive analytics, mathematical equations that forecast where events will likely occur, and the use of data within governmental agencies such as the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) are seen by many as a way to proactively penalize people before they ever do anything wrong.

4/18/2017

A ‘Generous’ Pathway to Citizenship, Foster Care

The trophies displayed on the fireplace mantle of a stately Gothic mansion represent just some of the accomplishments of the kids at Casa Libre, an emergency and long-term shelter for undocumented homeless youth in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park neighborhood.

4/12/2017

Nourish Their Bodies, Feed Their Minds, Reduce Youth Crime

Want to curb juvenile delinquency and prevent incarceration? Try fruits and vegetables. Too often efforts to keep kids in school and out of jail fail to consider the link between nutrition and behavior.

4/10/2017

Is Deportation of Juvenile Offenders Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

Kids and the Constitution may complicate President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, which calls for the deportation of non-citizens charged with a criminal offense. While the order does not specifically address juvenile offenders, it broadly expands the definition of who is considered a deportation priority, likely including many juveniles convicted of crimes in adult courts.

    3/31/2017

    Temporary County Jobs Offer Former Foster Youth Pathway to Employment

    Employment outcomes for youth transitioning out of foster care are less than hopeful, but the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is looking to a new pilot program to change that.

    3/30/2017

    California Legislators Take Aim at School-based Policing

    State laws that encourage alternatives to school-based policing in California may have done little so far to decrease the number of students funneled into the school-to-prison pipeline, but a bill introduced in January aims to change this through policy enforcement and data collection.

    3/13/2017

    California Bill to End Crippling Administrative Fees for Juveniles in the Justice System

    California State Senators Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) and Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) recently introduced a bill to eliminate administrative fees across the state for young people involved in the juvenile justice system.