By Martha T. Moore
“Three states have now raised the age at which kids are automatically tried as adults to 18. Connecticut, where change was spurred by the suicide of a 17-year-old in adult prison, considers juveniles all those under age 18.”
By Rick Wills
“The appellate court ruled that the trial court, in denying a petition to have the case transferred to juvenile court, violated Brown’s constitutional rights. At issue was whether Jordan Brown, 13, was forced to incriminate himself at a hearing to decertify his case as an adult homicide case.”
By Jeffrey Fagan and Aaron Kupchik
“As a result of the movement to criminalize youth crime in the 1980s and 1990s, large numbers of incarcerated youth serve their sentences in adult correctional facilities. In an effort to understand the ramifications of this practice, prior research studies have compared the correctional experiences of youth in juvenile and adult facilities. Yet this research tends to minimize the pains of imprisonment for youth in juvenile facilities, based on the contrast to adult facilities and the toxic conditions of confinement within them.”
By Judith White
“IT WAS uplifting to read about the positive effect an understanding and caring judge can have on a confused young person (“For Brown, second chance was a life-changing moment,’’ Feb. 23)…”
By Staff
“Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget plan might be bold, even revolutionary — but it represents business-as-usual for the Michigan Department of Corrections, with prison spending virtually flat at slightly more than $2 billion in 2011…”
By Rick Lee
“Jordan Wallick, 16, is in York County Court today trying to have the murder charges against him sent to juvenile court. If the case is decertified to juvenile court, and Wallick were convicted, he would be free at age 21 …”
By Staff
“A leading rights group slammed the United States on Monday for “overwhelming” racial disparities in its criminal justice system, and shortcomings in its approach to immigration and anti-terrorism measures.”
By Frances W. Kaye
“Thanks for the fine column by Newt Gingrich and Pat Nolan (Jan. 10). They are right — ‘Prison reform would cost less, still keep us safe.’ They make three workable suggestions — increase access to drug courts, make substance abuse treatment available without waiting lists and increase the number of people in community corrections. But there are several things Nebraska might add that would save money and make us all safer.”
By Newt Gingrich & Pat Nolan
“We urge conservative legislators to lead the way in addressing an issue often considered off-limits to reform: prisons. Several states have recently shown that they can save on costs without compromising public safety by intelligently reducing their prison populations.”
By Josh Verges
“For Berkeland and many others who have advocated for Caffrey’s release, the commutation is long overdue. They don’t excuse his actions, but they say life without parole is too severe a penalty for a 17-year-old who shot the man who tormented him with verbal and physical abuse. And they say race probably played a factor in the harsh sentence – Caffrey is Native American and his adoptive father, William Caffrey, was white.”
Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (EIN 27-3761788) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization