Juvenile Justice

Nearly a Third of Youths Are Arrested by Age 23; Is Zero Tolerance the Reason?

A new study has found that 30.2 percent of youths are arrested for crimes other than minor traffic offenses by age 23. The study published today in Pediatrics shows an increase in arrests since a similar study published in 1965, report USA Today and the New York Times. That study,…

Dec 19, 2011 12:22 PM CST

Sold as a Slave to US Family, Egyptian Girl Grows Up to Become a US Citizen

Sold as a slave by her family in Egypt and smuggled into the United States, at age 10, to work for a Cairo family living in California, a young girl has grown into a young woman with a bright future. Shyima Hall, now 22, was rescued at age 13 by…

Dec 16, 2011 11:04 PM CST

State Removes 200-Pound Boy, 8, From Mom’s Home Because He Is Too Fat

Few would dispute that overweight children are a national problem with worrisome potential health consequences, including the mother of a 200-pound 8-year-old Ohio boy who was removed from her home last month because he is too fat. However, some observers wonder whether the unusual action by Cleveland-area officials was appropriate,…

Nov 28, 2011 9:35 PM CST

Suit Claims DA Overreacted by Accusing Boy, 6, of Sex Assault over Game of Doctor

A federal civil rights lawsuit claims a district attorney in southwest Wisconsin overreacted when she accused a 6-year-old boy of sexual assault over a game of doctor. The suit, filed in federal court in Madison earlier this month, claims Grant County District Attorney Lisa Riniker violated the boy’s civil rights…

Nov 28, 2011 1:27 PM CST

Top LA Juvenile Judge Seeks to Open Court Hearings

It isn’t yet a done deal. But the presiding judge wants to open the doors of juvenile courtrooms in Los Angeles, holding public hearings in cases about child abuse and neglect and foster care placements, unless the parties object. Currently such cases are presumptively closed to the public. However, that…

Nov 9, 2011 7:30 PM CST

Colo. Supreme Court Nixes Attorney-Client Privilege for Children in Guardianship Cases

In a decision that is controversial among child advocates, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that attorney-client privilege is trumped, in guardianship cases, by the duty of a child’s attorney to protect his or her client from abuse. A divided court ruled that a lawyer acting as a guardian ad…

Nov 3, 2011 6:27 PM CDT

1st Offender, Once a Court Employee, Gets 21-Year Maximum in Attack on Prosecutor and Her Brother

Beaten and stabbed at least eight times by her ex-boyfriend earlier this year, an Ohio prosecutor told a visiting judge today of regaining consciousness at home in a pool of her own blood and finding her younger brother, a criminal defense lawyer who had been beaten and stabbed 19 times…

Oct 18, 2011 1:36 AM CDT

Suit Claims Cops Forced 13-Year-Old Boy to Take Alcohol Breath Test After School Complaint

A Michigan teen claims in a lawsuit that police in Livonia forced him to take an alcohol breath test at a school picnic in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The 13-year-old boy says he was wrongly accused, and the breath test registered a zero, the Detroit Free Press reports. An…

Sep 22, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Judge Acquits Boy, 12, in Murder of Brother, 6, But Finds Him Guilty of Reckless Homicide

Saying that there was a lack of intent, an Indiana judge today acquitted a 12-year-old boy of murdering his 6-year-old brother, but found him guilty, as a juvenile, of reckless homicide. The unidentified boy initially told authorities that his brother had shot himself. But an investigation determined that the 6-year-old’s…

Sep 9, 2011 9:32 PM CDT

11th Circuit Upholds Life Sentences for Juveniles Convicted of Murder

A federal appeals court based in Atlanta has ruled that juveniles convicted of murder may be sentenced to life in prison without parole. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF) Wednesday in the case of Kenneth Loggins, the Associated Press reports. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court barred…

Sep 9, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Defendant’s Parents ‘Deserved to Be Shot,’ Lawyer Says

In the opening statement of the trial for murder suspect Jacob Brighton, defense attorney Marc Shiner told jurors Brighton’s parents “deserved to be shot; they deserved it, legally.” Brighton, 20, faces two counts of first-degree murder and possible life in prison for the 2007 fatal shootings of Richard and Penny…

Aug 26, 2011 7:15 PM CDT

Nearly 5 Years Later, Most or All of Jena 6 in College; Victim Is Working and Moving On with Life

Six young black men who faced potential hefty prison sentences five years ago, as high school students, in a controversial case that led to civil rights protests and substantially reduced charges are now doing well. At least five of the so-called Jena 6 are in college, according to the Associated…

Aug 25, 2011 10:21 PM CDT

Judge Detains 2 Teens, Puts Ankle Monitor on Boy, 11, for Flash Mob Attack on Law Student and Others

An angry juvenile court judge yesterday told two teenagers and an 11-year-old boy that their “actions, behavior, and attitude” concerning a July 29 flash mob attack by a large group on pedestrians were “appalling and disgusting for civilized society,” before pronouncing sentence. The Center City Philadelphia attack left four victims,…

Aug 19, 2011 3:32 PM CDT

Boy, 11, Takes Plea in Mom’s Shooting Death, Asks Judge If He Can Have a Gun Again Later On in Life

Initially charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his mother, an 11-year-old Illinois boy pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree murder. The unidentified youth expressed no remorse in yesterday’s juvenile court hearing over the death of Brenda Schaad, 39, reports the Journal Courier. It occurred earlier this month as…

Aug 9, 2011 12:14 PM CDT

Teen Ordered to Create Memorial to Toddler Left to Die in Hot Van

A juvenile court judge in Clayton County, Ga., has ordered a teenager to create a memorial to a 2-year-old girl who died at a daycare center after being left in a hot van following a field trip. The teenage girl, whose name was withheld because of her age, also received…

Aug 2, 2011 1:17 PM CDT