A Republican congressman introduced a bill to end life-without-parole and defacto life sentences for children in the federal criminal justice system. The bill, known as HR 6011, was introduced by congressman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), according to an opinion piece published on September 16 in The Hill by Marc Levin (vice president of criminal justice policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and its Right on Crime initiative) and Jody Kent Lavy (executive director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth). “Should it pass, HR … [Read more...] about HR 6011 a bill to end children’s life without parole
incarcerated youth
Committee recommends better youth treatment
A committee made sweeping recommendations on the use of pepper spray, shackling, visitation rights and vegetarian meal options for incarcerated youths. “This time around was historic; we are advocating for changes that have never been addressed before,” said Israel Villa, a formerly incarcerated youth and program and policy coordinator for Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement. The Executive Steering Committee of the State Board of State and Community Corrections held a panel with youth advocates in November in preparation … [Read more...] about Committee recommends better youth treatment
Youth correctional facility helps 15 offenders graduate
Fifteen youth offenders graduated last month from Johanna Boss High School, which is inside the O.H. Close Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton. “Do not let your past kill your future,” said Clay Rojas, Parkside Church’s pastor. Rojas, an ex-offender himself who served three years in federal prison, was the keynote speaker at the ceremony, reported Almendra Carpizo for the Stockton Record. “It’s possible, guys. It’s possible that our life can look completely different,” Rojas told the graduating class. In the United States more than … [Read more...] about Youth correctional facility helps 15 offenders graduate
The over use of pepper spray on juveniles
Guards at a Wisconsin youth detention facility were found to have pepper-sprayed teenage inmates more than 100 times in the first six months of the year, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. The information was based on a report filed by the state Department of Corrections in federal court. “One inmate at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma was pepper-sprayed 12 times between January and June … but the majority of the 51 inmates sprayed were pepper-sprayed four or fewer times,” Molly Beck reported. The … [Read more...] about The over use of pepper spray on juveniles
‘Dirty Look’ Gets Teen Girl More Prison Time
‘The only misconduct tickets she received prior to the new sentence were for defying an order and giving a guard an ‘intimidating look,’ and yelling...’ Youths sentenced to adult prisons in Michigan are protesting with lawsuits. Plaintiffs are suing Michigan for mistreating youth held in the adult prison system, the Huffington Post reported. One of the plaintiffs is Jamie, a 17-year-old girl from Detroit who was originally sentenced to two concurrent terms of six months for throwing a brick at a family friend. (A police report noted that … [Read more...] about ‘Dirty Look’ Gets Teen Girl More Prison Time