Speaker Series: Rethinking Childhood: Juveniles and the Justice System

Posted by on February 5, 2007

The Rutgers University Center for Children and Childhood Studies
and
The Rutgers University School of Law Children?s Justice Clinic presents:

Rethinking Childhood: Juveniles and the Justice System

Despite the fact that the overall rate of juvenile crime is declining, children are being imprisoned and confined at alarming rates, with minority youth in particular making up the majority of incarcerated youth around the country. Why is this the case? This speaker?s series seeks to shed light on the issues surrounding juvenile incarceration and explore new ways of dealing with youth in the justice system

All panels will take place from 4:30 pm ? 6:30 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Thursday, March 1, 2007
?Trauma and Juvenile Delinquency?
Location: 319 Cooper Street ? Room 109

It has been well documented that traumatic experiences in a child?s life are often the first step on the path that leads many to the dependency system, the juvenile justice system, and then, ultimately to adult prison. Trauma has been shown to be particularly damaging to girls, as some studies show that 80% of girls in juvenile facilities have experienced trauma. This speaker series will uncover why trauma creates such lasting and damaging effects and explore some promising approaches to its treatment

Thursday, March 8, 2007
?School to Prison Pipeline: The Disconnect Between Juveniles and School?
Location: 319 Cooper Street ? Room 109

Current research has shown that young minority males are becoming increasingly disconnected from the educational system and are leaving school and entering the criminal justice system in record numbers. What is currently going on in the lives of young males that are leading them from the classrooms to detention centers? This speaker series presentation will discuss some of the prevailing ideas about the disconnect and the long-term impact on the life chances of minority males.

Thursday, April 5, 2007
?Justice or Injustice? The Disproportionate Number of Minority Youth in the Justice System?
Location: 319 Cooper Street ? Room 109

Both juvenile and adult justice systems disproportionately confine minorities in their jails and detention centers. Children are being imprisoned and confined at an alarming rate despite recent declines in the overall rate of juvenile crime and violent crime. First time African-American and Latino/a delinquents are six times and three times, respectively, more likely than white youth to be incarcerated for the exact same offense. After a legislative mandate in 1992 to provide funding to states to address the pervasive problem of disproportionate minority confinement (DMC), child advocates are beginning to persuade states to implement programs to reduce minority confinement, but there is still a long way to go to insure that all children are treated equally by the juvenile court. This panel will discuss the problem of DMC throughout the nation and in New Jersey, and discuss how child advocates, lawyers, judges, and the community can reduce the disparate treatment of minorities in our juvenile system

Thursday, April 12, 2007
?Colors: Youth and Gangs?
Location: 319 Cooper Street ? Room 109

The perceived proliferation of youth gang involvement throughout the United States has garnered increased interest and attention in recent years by youth advocates, police, and prosecutors. As urban and marginalized communities have struggled to find solutions for decades to what sometimes appears to be an insurmountable problem, a new aspect of the problem has recently gathered increased attention ? the presence of child gang involvement in rural areas. Few strategies have shown a significant impact in preventing children from entering gangs or from choosing to leave that lifestyle behind. This panel hopes to examine the issue of children involved in gangs with a particular emphasis on strategies, both effective and ineffective, that have been used to address this issue. Additionally, this panel will focus on the unique challenges of addressing youth gang involvement throughout Southern New Jersey and many of its rural counties.

For additional information please call 856-225-6738
Or visit
http://children.camden.rutgers.edu
http://camlaw.rutgers.edu/site/clinics/childjustice/