By Molly Hennessy-Fiske | L.A. Times — In a move to improve mental healthcare in the troubled juvenile justice system, Los Angeles County probation officials are asking that a 70-bed hospital in Sylmar be built to house and treat the most seriously ill youths in custody. The facility, which would cost an estimated $5 million to $10 million, […]
Law Review Article Just Published
By Sue Burrell, Corene Kendrick & Brian Blalock | Stanford Law & Policy Review — Sue Burrell, Corene Kendrick and Brian Blalock’s article on incompetent youth in California’s juvenile justice system appears in the latest volume of the Stanford Law & Policy Review. Download article.
Damon King New Skadden Fellow
The Youth Law Center is pleased to announce that Damon King has received a Skadden Fellowship to work at the Youth Law Center, beginning September 2009. He will focus on enforcement of the rights of children in California’s group homes through direct representation, legal support for court-appointed attorneys, and collaboration with state agencies to resolve […]
Revised Juvenile Court Rules
The California Judicial Council has revised juvenile court rules governing the release of confidential records to provide additional protections for children and youth. Working with Jack Daniel, an attorney with Central California Legal Services, the Youth Law Center recommended the change to clarify the court must make an individual determination of the best interest of […]
YLC Present at PJDC Roundtable
YLC Staff Attorneys Sue Burrell and Corene Kendrick were among the speakers at the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center’s annual roundtable for juvenile defenders, held November 7, 2008 in San Francisco. Sue provided attendees with an update on juvenile justice-related legislation enacted by the California Legislature; and Corene spoke on a panel on competency to stand […]
Baby Elmo Project Presentation at CAPIA Training
Carole Shauffer and Jennifer Rodriguez with Dr. Rachel Barr and the staffs of participating counties presented a training on the Baby Elmo Project at the Southern Region California Association of Probation Institution Administrators on October 30th from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Orange County brought the youth who was the first participant/graduate of the program […]
JDAI Training in Houston
YLC Staff Attorneys Sue Burrell, Deborah Escobedo, and Corene Kendrick conducted a training on Oct. 7 and 8 at the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center (Texas) on how to assess the conditions of confinement at the juvenile detention facility. The training was part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), which aims […]
Sacramento Bee Article re L.H. v. Schwarzenegger
Judge Orders Reforms for California Juvenile Parole Revocation By Denny Walsh | Sacramento Bee — A Sacramento federal judge has ordered sweeping reforms to the parole revocation system for California juveniles, including an accelerated schedule of hearings to quickly determine whether revocation is merited. U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton earlier ruled the failure of state authorities to […]
SB 1147 Signed
This week, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law S.B. 1147 – Medi-Cal for Juveniles. As a result of this bill, Medi-Cal children being released from public institutions will no longer be faced with re-applying for benefits. Their benefits will be suspended when they go into custody, so services can be accessed immediately when children are no […]
YLC Assists Florida in Foster Home Recruitment and Retention
As part of our project to improve the recruitment and retention of Florida foster families, the Youth Law Center is conducting on-site assessments this week at three Florida community-based care lead agencies, CBC of Seminole, Hillsborough Kids, and Big Bend Community Based Care. The goal is to improve recruitment and retention of quality foster families […]
Proposition 6’s Answer to Safety Issues: Jail, Jail and More Jail
By Sue Burrell | Daily Journal — FORUM COLUMN On this November's crowded initiative ballot, voters will encounter a reassuringly entitled measure, "The Safe Neighborhoods Act," Proposition 6. At first glance, it may seem a likely yes vote, as a large portion of California's law enforcement community supports it. But for those of us who regularly trek to […]
California Selected for MacArthur Foundation JIDAN
By Sue Burrell | San Francisco, California (August 28, 2008): California has been selected as one of four sites nationally to participate in the Models for Change Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network. The initiative, supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is aimed at developing innovative solutions and strategies to better address the […]
Facility Self-Inspections Prove Valuable in New Mexico
Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative News — Detention facility self-inspections test whether facilities are meeting constitutional standards and best practices; protecting juveniles’ rights; and providing the services to which juveniles are legally entitled. The initial facility self-inspection develops baseline data on conditions of confinement against which progress can be measured. It identifies ways that facility policies and operations […]
L.H. v. Schwarzenegger Task Force Meeting
As co-counsel in L.H. v. Schwarzenegger, we are bringing tegether juvenile defenders from around the state to meet with the defendants to work on policy and procedures. This meeting will take place Friday at 9:30 at DJJ Headquarters, 4241 Williamsbourgh Drive, Suite 209, Sacramento, CA 95823. The meeting will be chaired by Mike Brady, a […]
Corene Kendrick on NACC Conference Panel
On Monday, August 4, 2008, Corene Kendrick, YLC Staff Attorney, took part in a panel training entitled “Collaborative Advocacy: How Attorneys Can Put Words Into Action for System Reform at the annual conference of the National Association of Counsel for Children in Savannah Georgia. The panel was attended by over a hundred attorneys.
Oregonian Article re Oregon Adoption Assistance Lawsuit
An Overdue Settlement – The State Rightfully Agrees to Pay $ 1.7 Million to Families of Former Foster Children The Oregonian — In February 2003, during the darkest days of Oregon’s budget crisis, forced school closures got the state some negative national publicity in the comic strip “Doonesbury.” That same month, however, schoolchildren weren’t the only […]
Settlement to Repay Adoptive Families
By Karen McCowan | Register-Guard — The state of Oregon has agreed to pay a combined $1.7 million to thousands of families who adopted Oregon foster children and then saw their promised state assistance abruptly reduced during a 2003 state budget shortfall. The payments to the families of more than 6,688 former foster children are part of a class […]
ASW v. Oregon Settles
The Youth Law Center has settled A.S.W. v. Oregon (aka A.S.W. v. Mink), an Adoption Assistance Program (“AAP”)class action lawsuit filed on behalf of families in Oregon who adopted children from the foster care system and had their AAP payments illegally cut by the state. The law firm of Johnson, Clifton, Larson & Schaller of […]
San Bernardino Starts Baby Elmo Project
San Bernardino Probation Department held the first session of the Baby Elmo Project, a hands on teen parenting program, on Saturday, July 19th, making it the fourth county to have the program. Here is what the Orange County Chief Probation Officer, Coleene Presiado, said about the Orange County program: “The staff and kids at the […]
Boy’s Abuse Was No Secret
By Ari B. Bllomekatz | Los Angeles Times — Friends and family say they suspected that Starkeisha Brown beat her 5-year-old son — but nobody called authorities. Such inaction has its roots in distrust of police and child-protection workers. In Starkeisha Brown’s small circle of South Los Angeles, it was no secret that her 5-year-old son was the victim […]
Kids Count Data Book Available
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 19th annual Kids Count Data Book is now available. The annual Data Book is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America’s children that seeks to enrich discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all kids. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key measures and provides […]
Corene Kendrick on Commonwealth Club Panel
Corene Kendrick will be one of the panelists on the Commonwealth Club’s panel, “Fostering California’s Future: Mental Health Care Changes”. The presentaion is on June 23, 2008.
Herald Salinas Article re L.H. Settlement
Lawsuit Gives Paroled Youths New Set of Rules – Arrested Juvenile to Get Hearing in 13 Days By Julia Reynolds | Herald Salinas Bureau — Youths facing a return to prison on parole violations will be awarded the same rights as adults after the state settled a landmark class-action lawsuit this week. “The juvenile system has always been […]
LA Times Article re L.H. Settlement
State OKs Changes for Juvenile Parole Violators -Settlement Promises Attorneys and Timely Hearings for Youths By Michael Rothfeld | Los Angeles Times — SACRAMENTO — — The state has agreed to provide attorneys and timely hearings for juveniles accused of violating parole, in a settlement of a federal class-action lawsuit by youths who said prison officials infringed on […]
Prompt Juvenile Parolee Hearings to Be Held
By Bob Egelko | San Francisco Chronicle — The state agreed Wednesday to hold prompt hearings and protect the rights of juvenile parolees who are sometimes held for months while awaiting rulings on whether they violated their parole. The California Division of Juvenile Justice also agreed to limit sentences for juvenile parole violations to one year and to […]
Sacramento Bee Article re L.H. Settlement
California Settlement Extends Adult Parollee Rights to Juvenile Offenders By Andy Furillo | Sacramento Bee — Inmates rights lawyers and the state settled a lawsuit Wednesday that will grant to juveniles parolee rights already extended to adults. Under terms of the federal court deal, youthful offenders will have the right to a lawyer during parole revocation proceedings, to […]
Young Parolees Given Basic Rights
By Karen de Sa | Mercury News — A significant legal settlement announced Wednesday grants thousands of juvenile parolees fundamental due process rights for the first time in California history. Under the agreement reached in a Sacramento federal court between youth advocates and state officials, offenders who violate parole will soon be afforded the basic constitutional rights granted […]
L.H. v. Schwarzenegger Settles
A settlement was reached on June 4, 2008, between the California Division of Juvenile Justice and juvenile parolees in L.H. v. Schwarzenegger, a federal class action lawsuit alleging widespread violation of youths’ constitutional rights. The suit was brought by two San Francisco law firms, Rosen, Bien & Galvan, LLP and Bingham McCutchen, and the Youth […]
Press Release re L.H. v. Schwarzenegger Settlement
Settlement Announced by Division of Juvenile Justice and Juvenile Parolees in Lawsuit over Lack of Due Process in Parole Proceedings California DJJ Agrees to Sweeping Overhaul of Parole System to Comply with Constitution. (San Francisco, CA – June 4, 2008) – Juvenile parolees today reached an agreement with the California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) […]
California Settles Lawsuit Over Young Parolees’ Rights
By Don Thompson | AP National Story — SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California announced the settlement of a federal lawsuit Wednesday that accused the state of violating juvenile offenders' constitutional rights. The settlement requires the state to begin giving young offenders the same swift hearings that are given adults who are accused of violating their parole. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton […]
Carole Shauffer on NPR
Carole Shauffer was on NPR's Nation – "A Closer Look: Kids in Court" May 23, 2008. To listen to what she had to say, here is the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90776359
She Turned Her Life Around – Incarceration Spurs Change
By Jennifer Gentile | The Reporter — Amanda Bell's life as a young adult was on a downward spiral. Now almost 27, the Vaca- ville resident was candid about past mistakes and her subsequent turnaround. She also openly acknowledged coming from a dysfunctional family and being a victim of molestation. "I was just always extremely angry," she said. […]
Youth Law Center Profiled in Final Haigh-Scatena Report
The Youth Law Center is one of the grantees profiled in the final Haigh-Scatena Foundation report, "40 Years of Funding Social Change." The report captures the essence of what the Haigh-Scatena Foundation was trying to achieve through grants in the last forty years.
Article on Juvenile Delinquency Courts
Court System for Juveniles in Disarray: Study Says State Has Too Many Cases, Not Enough Resources By Karen de Sa | Mercury News — California juvenile delinquency courts are plagued by too many cases, too few services for troubled youth and a total bewilderment among many families involved, a two-year study by the state court system has found. […]
Ohio Lawsuit Settles
S.H. v. Stickrath has settled. The settlement is a comprehensive commitment by Ohio to move the state’s juvenile correctional model away from large institutions to a regional small facility delivery system.In the short term the settlement restricts population to the rated facility capacity, increases staffing, implements new staff training, revises use of force, restraints, isolation […]
Fresno Birth to 6 Initiative Kick Off
Fresno is the third site to partner with the Youth Law Center to work toward improving the lives of very young children in foster care. The Fresno Birth to Six Initiative Kick-Off occurred on March 28 with over 100 social workers and their community partners attending. See http://fresnobirthto6.blogspot.com/.
Support for SB 1147 – Medi-Cal Coverage for Juveniles
The Youth Law Center is sponsoring S.B. 1147, which would require the Department of Health Care Services to adopt protocols and policies to ensure that Medi-Cal eligible youth are not terminated from coverage, solely on the basis that they are inmates of a public institution. The practical effect of this would be to ensure that […]
Press Release re Ohio Conditions Lawsuit Settlement
Juvenile Justice Reform on Track in Ohio – Class Action Settlement Filed COLUMBUS, OH – A comprehensive class action settlement has been filed today in federal court in Columbus, Ohio outlining reforms for the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS). The system-wide scope of this agreement creates a long-term investment in Ohio youth by infusing […]
13,000 Abuse Claims in Juvie Centers
By HOLBROOK MOHR, Associated Press Writer | AP National Story — COLUMBIA, Miss. – The Columbia Training School – pleasant on the outside, austere on the inside – has been home to 37 of the most troubled young women in Mississippi. If some of those girls and their advocates are to be believed, it is also a cruel […]
Three Counties Implementing Baby Elmo Parenting Program
Orange, Fresno and Yolo Counties are implementing the Baby Elmo Parenting Program, which is designed to support visit between incarcerated teens and their young children by providing basic parenting education and encouraging preliteracy skills through the use of the Sesame Street Beginnings DVDs.
Two New Sites Are Beginning their Infancy Programs
San Francisco and Fresno Counties join Detroit, Michigan to ensure that child welfare serves young children in a manner and with services appropriate to meet their special developmental needs. San Francisco had their kickoff meeting in February and Fresno will have theirs in March.
Counsel for Juvenile Parolees in Parole Revocation Hearings
By Magee | Judge in L.H. v. Schwarzenegger orders defendants to appoint counsel to represent each and every juvenile parolee in parole revocation hearings by February 15, 2008. Download Order
California DJJ Must Appoint Attorneys for all Youth
(Sacramento, CA – January 29, 2008) – A federal judge ruled today that the California Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) appoint attorneys to represent “each and every” DJJ parolee in parole revocation proceedings beginning no later than February 15, 2008. The case, L.H. v. Schwarzenegger, Civ. No. 2:06-cv-02042, is a class action suit filed in […]
DCF has the will, but needs the tools
Miami Herald — A headline in the Jan. 19 Metro Section — Report: Abuse workers in Miami overloaded — may explain the ''why'' behind a Jan. 22 headline in the same section — Report: DCF inept in handling 2 rape cases. The first article cited a new report that specified problems in child protection provided by […]
State Must Appoint Counsel for Juvenile Parolees, Judge Rules
By Linda Rapattoni | Daily Journal — SACRAMENTO – Attorneys for 3,000 juvenile offenders who sued the state for refusing them counsel said Wednesday they could not understand why state officials stalled on the matter until forced to act by a judge's order. Ruling in a class action, U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton of Sacramento issued a […]
DCF abuse investigators overloaded, report finds
By CAROL MARBIN MILLER | Miami Herald — A new report on Miami-Dade's troubled child welfare program finds child abuse investigators are dedicated but overworked and insufficiently trained. Miami child abuse investigators who juggle as many as 40 new cases a month — more than double the national standard — are poorly trained, don't have enough Spanish and […]
Article re Closure of Two DJJ Facilities
January 5, 2008 Two Youth Prisons to Close – Division of Juvenile Justice says this shows the state is working to comply with a court-ordered overhaul. By Andy Furillo | Sacramento Bee — The announced closures Friday of two California youth prisons provide concrete evidence that the state is working to comply with a court-ordered, top-to-bottom overhaul of its […]