JCCF NEWS SUMMARY
November 1, 2012

Girls in the Juvenile Justice System

 

Photo from Daniel Birman's Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story 

 

Though the population of boys detained in the juvenile justice system has decreased over the past two decades, the proportion of girls in the juvenile justice system has increased exponentially. In 2011, over 300,000 girls were arrested, according to FBI reports. And a significant body of research indicates there are key differences between girls and boys in the crimes they commit and in the way that those offenses are processed. The growing effort to address these disparities and quell the surge of girls' involvement in the system warrants a closer look.

 

Check out JCCF's new resource, Girls in the Juvenile System, for links to research and data on this critical issue.   

  
 
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Report: Children Join the Conversation About ADHD

 

Children diagnosed with ADHD and other hyperactive disorders are often given stimulant drugs as a treatment, but rising consumption of these medications has prompted considerable public debate. VOICES, a research project based at the London School of Economics and Political Science and funded by the Wellcome Trust, collects the experiences and perspectives of children diagnosed with ADHD in order to help inform this debate and provide context for clinical judgment and public policy. 

 

The final VOICES report, "Voices on Identity, Childhood, Ethics and Stimulants: Children Join the Debate" incorporates illustrations from the children who were interviewed and is accompanied by a video. Read more about the report. 

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NewsNEWS OF NOTE

 

In Hurricane's Wake, Ethnic Media Are a Lifeline to Immigrants

New America Media, Anthony Advincula | Oct. 31, 2012

As Hurricane Sandy bore down on the East Coast, many ethnic media served as a lifeline to their respective communities. Without an ability to publish, newspapers posted translated emergency advisories online and gave advice over the phone.

 

People Living in Poverty Are Twice as Likely to Be Depressed

The Atlantic, Lindsay Abrams | Oct. 31, 2012

A variety of chronic health problems disproportionately affect the poor, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Depression shows the strongest disparity.

 

Massachusetts Vote May Change How the Nation Dies

Slate, Lewis M. Cohen | Oct. 29, 2012

A Massachusetts ballot question has the potential to turn death with dignity from a legislative experiment into the new national norm.

 

On U.S. Farms, Deaths in Silos Persist

The New York Times, John M. Broder | Oct. 28, 2012

Even as the rate of serious injury and fatalities on American farms has fallen, the number of workers dying by entrapment in grain bins and silos has remained steady. The deaths are horrific and virtually all preventable.

 

More and More Babies Are Being Born With Addictions

Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram, Susan Schrock | Oct. 28, 2012

The number of babies treated for drug withdrawal after birth nearly tripled between 2000 and 2009, according to a national study published this year.

 

Undocumented Students Take Education Underground

NPR, Kathy Lohr | Oct. 28, 2012

Georgia is one of three states to bar undocumented students from attending schools. But a group of professors at the University of Georgia has created Freedom University, a fledgling school to provide a place for students to learn.

 

The Cliff Effect: When Work Doesn't Pay

WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, Shannon Heffernan | Oct. 26, 2012

In the '90s, welfare was reformed with the goal of encouraging self-reliance and independence. But though Sarah, a single mom supporting two kids with the help of TANF, is a model of how welfare has moved people into jobs, she's also a portrait of what's gone wrong.

 

Mississippi Town Sued Over 'School-to-Prison Pipeline'

CNN, Terry Friden | Oct. 26, 2012

Children who talk back to teachers and commit other minor infractions are handcuffed and sent to a youth court where they are denied their rights, according to federal civil rights lawyers who filed suit against Meridian, Mississippi and other agencies.

 

Sexual Trauma Marks Girls' Path to Juvenile Justice System

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, Kaukab Jhumra Smith | Oct. 25, 2012

For girls, the biggest funnel into the prison system is sexual abuse, advocates say. Tens of thousands of girls with a history of sexual trauma find themselves in the juvenile justice system.

 

Single Mom Challenges Dismissal From Air Force

CNN, Kathleen Johnston and Kyung Lah | Oct 25, 2012

Rebecca Edmonds discovered she was pregnant weeks before becoming an U.S. Air Force officer. The Air Force accused Edmonds of fraud and ejected her because it forbids single parents from enlisting. She has appealed the decision.

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Events
EVENTS   
  
November 8, 9 a.m. -10:30 a.m.
American Enterprise Institute
Washington, D.C. or webcast
A discussion of what the 2012 election results will mean for the potential reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, federal education spending, and state and local issues.

November 8, 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Urban Institute
Washington, D.C. or webcast
In recent years, the housing crisis and economic recession pushed FHA to play an unprecedented role in the U.S. housing market. Experts will discuss the history of FHA, its importance to single-family housing finance and its future role in the housing finance market. 

November 8, 6 p.m - 8 p.m. ET
Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, Columbia Journalism School
New York
Writer and scholar Emily Bernard and Dart Center Executive Director Bruce Shapiro, both survivors of a brutal attack nearly two decades ago, will have a conversation about crime, memory and the long shadow of violence. 

November 12, 5:30 p.m.
Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Join Lynn Povich as she discusses The Good Girls Revolt, her account of the class action lawsuit against Newsweek Magazine, a case that changed American journalism and the workplace.  
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OpportunitiesOPPORTUNITIES
 
 
Deadline: November 16, 2012
National Press Photographers Foundation
Five scholarships at $5,000 each will be awarded to professional still photographers who have worked for at least three years and have returned to school.

Deadline: November 19, 2012
Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
A short-term visiting fellowship for individuals to work on special projects. Publishers, programmers, Web designers, media analysts, academics, journalists and others interested in improving journalism. 

Deadline: November 30, 2012
Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism
The fellowship will guide journalists who want to use social media to better cover their beats. The fellowship also aims to sharpen public affairs reporting skills. 

Deadline: December 10, 2012
USC Annenberg School of Journalism's California Endowment 
The all-expense-paid fellowship is open to print, broadcast and online journalists from California or those based elsewhere who contribute to California media outlets. Field trips, workshops and seminars will hone multimedia reporting skills and explore the role that factors such as race, ethnicity, pollution 

National Center for Disability and Journalism, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University
A new national awards program to recognize excellence in reporting on disability issues and people with disabilities. Entries will be accepted beginning January 1, 2013. 
 
 
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ABOUT THE JCCF NEWS SUMMARY

Mina Dixon, Editor 


The Journalism Center on Children & Families, a program of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism, is a national nonprofit organization committed to supporting media coverage of children, youth and families, particularly the disadvantaged. The JCCF News Summary helps journalists and others keep in touch with the latest news, policy analysis and research reports on critical social issues that impact families and communities. We encourage redistribution of this material with credit given to the Journalism Center on Children & Families.

Journalists are encouraged to submit their stories for consideration for publication in the JCCF News Summary and on our website. Please send story links to: [email protected]. Stories should be archived and free of access charges for at least seven days.
 
JCCF thanks The Annie E. Casey Foundation for its generous support of our work.
 
www.journalismcenter.org

 

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