Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

Several States Reconsider Life Without Parole

On July 25th, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that state lawmakers will be holding hearings about life-without-parole sentences for juveniles.
Pennsylvania has 444 people serving life-without-parole sentences for crimes they committed as juveniles, according to Human Rights Watch. Nationally, 2,484 lifers are behind bars for crimes they committed as juveniles. No youth outside [...]

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Child Slavery: Nightline Reporter Purchases a Child Slave in 10 Hours

On July 8th, ABC’s Nightline aired an incredible story about child slavery in Haiti. Reporter Dan Harris began his “unsettling experiment” one morning in Manhattan and within 10 hours, he had purchased a 10 year old girl in Haiti for $150. You can read or watch the rest of the report online. Also, Dateline NBC [...]

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

Sunset on TYC? A Timeline and Update

In November 2008, the Sunset Commission will issue a report with recommendations for TYC. (Link) The Sunset commission “periodically evaluate a state agency to determine if the agency is still needed, and what improvements are needed to ensure that state funds are well spent.  Based on the recommendations of the Sunset Commission, the Texas Legislature [...]

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

What Does Justice Mean For a 14 Year Old Girl Who Kills Her New Born Son?

Unfortunately, children are sometimes confronted with serious adult situations with lifelong consequences. On April 2, 2008, a fourteen year old Baytown girl encountered such a situation when she gave birth to a baby in the restroom of her junior high school (Houston Chronicle Story). According to the girl’s lawyer, she was unaware she was pregnant [...]