An inmate who was learning to fight California’s wildfires was killed by a guard Sunday during a riot at the prison where he was being trained, officials said this week. Jonathan Velarde, 23, was in the thick of a 45-person riot that...
The most telling number in a new report on how states decide who is a juvenile and who is an adult in the justice system isn’t necessarily 18 or even 17 or 16. Instead, consider the number four. That’s the number of states that have...
The transition to college — it’s a big one. Teens are suddenly faced with new freedoms, living arrangements, relationships, responsibilities and stress. Parents across the country are spending this month preparing their children for...
Safety is what everyone we talk to in Englewood wants — safety and respect from the police. They are not willing to settle for a false choice of one or the other. On June 29, Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK) took a novel...
After living in 14 different foster-home placements, 14-year-old Alex (name changed) said she felt depressed and isolated. Like the estimated 400,000 -plus other children currently living without a permanent family in the foster care system,...
For 22 years, Homer’s annual Run for Women, later the Breast Cancer Run, has raised awareness of breast cancer. Sponsored by Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic, this year the annual August run supports another of its programs, youth services,...
The membership of ACEsconnection represents a new wave of thinking about health and social problems. Unfortunately, this new thinking has not yet permeated policy discussions in Washington, particularly in the mental health arena. I hope...
We were 14 years old when a police officer led us out of our school in handcuffs. We hadn’t committed a crime, and were dedicated students who maintained clean disciplinary records. But we could no longer abide by the shared-custody...
First in a three-part report on solitary confinement use in U.S. prisons. In the yard at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, gray-haired men make their way up to a small stage. A towering stone prison wall rises overhead. One by...
Imagine a society where everyone has the means and opportunity to make choices that lead to the healthiest lives possible––a society where health is valued by all, and no one is excluded because of chronic illness or other...
Reading the news that former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle will plead guilty to possessing hundreds of pornographic images of children and having sex with underage girls, it is hard not to be horrified. Indeed, the...
When Congress returns from summer recess early next month, juvenile justice stakeholders will be watching to see what happens to a bill that would update core federal standards for the field. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention...
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell today announced up to $5.8 million to help tribal communities boost early learning and development services, enhance native language revitalization efforts, and assess and improve the handling of...
If a drug addict goes to a hospital for treatment, they might not be able to obtain clean needles to help them avoid contracting HIV or hepatitis C. If they go to a harm reduction clinic, they’ll get the clean needles, but they might not...
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, much of the physical damage the storm caused in the city of New Orleans has been repaired. Neighborhoods and communities have been rebuilt. Schools, hospitals, businesses, and restaurants...