As California Shuts its Youth Prisons, Unlikely Critics Emerge
The third installment in The Imprint’s series on the fight to close California’s youth prisons.
Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Jun 13, 2023
‘The Darkest Part of the Tunnel’
Youth in solitary confinement wrote letters to save their lives. One lawyer responded.
Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Jun 06, 2023
The Untold Story of How a Stubborn Group of Parents Helped Shutter the Nation’s Largest Youth Prison System
How a scrappy group of parents played a key but lesser-known role in the pending closure of the Division of Juvenile Justice
Nell Bernstein, The Imprint Apr 26, 2023
Washington State Bill Would Undo ‘Superpredator’-Era Sentencing Scheme
Under state law, adult prison sentences are automatically enhanced based on prior youth adjudications. New legislation would rein in the practice and allow for reconsideration of extreme sentences.
Chelsea Moore, Christopher Blackwell Mar 27, 2023
A Lonely Child Finds His Way Out of Abuse and Homelessness, It Lands Him Behind Bars
First in a three-part series on a teenager with a tumultuous childhood sent to die in prison, and where his life would lead. The following narrative was compiled from interviews and court records.
Sylvia A. Harvey Jan 30, 2023
Youth Curfews Feed Kids into the Criminal System. But Cities Keep Expanding Them.
Youth curfews don’t work. Over 11,500 kids were arrested in 2019 for curfew violations or loitering, per FBI data. Nearly 30% were Black.
Tara Francis Chan Nov 23, 2022
Louisiana Wants to Jail Kids at Angola Prison’s Old Death Row
An upcoming court ruling could decide the fate of a plan to detain “problematic youth” at a facility that previously housed prisoners awaiting execution.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 22, 2022
Massachusetts Could Loosen Life Without Parole Restrictions For Young People
Justices in the state’s highest court are weighing whether it is unconstitutional to sentence people convicted of murder and aged 18 to 20 to life without parole.
Ella Fassler Jun 30, 2021
Five Times Miami’s New Police Chief Got It Wrong on Public Safety
Art Acevedo’s recent comments reveal an official who, despite his “good cop” veneer, has played fast and loose with the facts when it comes to addressing public safety.
Eoin Higgins Apr 12, 2021
Children Can Be On Their Own When Grilled By Police. The Push for Protection is Growing
Several states, including Maryland, are considering bills to protect minors from abusive police interrogations.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 25, 2021
‘Hand of One, Hand of All’: 50 Years for a Teen Who Didn’t Pull the Trigger
At 15, Kenneth Lamont Robinson was convicted for murder under South Carolina’s accomplice liability law, despite not committing the shooting that killed Kedena Brown.
Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein Jan 07, 2021
D.C. May Give People Convicted As Young Adults A Chance At Resentencing
The D.C. Council is set to vote on a bill aimed at giving people who committed serious crimes before their 25th birthday an opportunity to petition a judge for resentencing.
Meg O'Connor Dec 14, 2020
Shifting Incarceration Costs to Counties Could Mean Fewer People in Prisons and Jails, Study Suggests
A new study suggests that if counties—rather than states—bear the cost of incarceration, they may be less likely to incarcerate people.
Joshua Vaughn Dec 09, 2020
Reform Advocates Want To Oust Illinois Judge Who Fought To Detain Young Children
A coalition of organizations is hoping Michael Toomin, who is also unwilling to implement diversion programs, loses his retention election.
Kira Lerner Oct 16, 2020
Far From Being Beyond Saving, Prison Youth Deserve Every Opportunity For Meaningful Rehabilitation
We should demand that prison officials and our elected representatives honor their constitutional obligation to promote and support youth healing, growth, and change.
Mark Wilson Sep 14, 2020
Thousands of Children On Probation Are Incarcerated Each Year for Nonviolent, Noncriminal Behaviors
Experts say Black and Native children are disproportionately jailed either for status offenses or for technical violations of probation or parole—and that incarcerating them has far-reaching negative consequences.
Dawn R. Wolfe Sep 04, 2020
Michigan Judge Ends Probation For Black Teen Who Was Jailed For Not Completing Her Homework
Judge Mary Ellen Brennan jailed the 15-year-old, known as Grace, for violating her probation by not completing schoolwork. Last month, the Michigan Court of Appeals ordered Grace’s immediate release, which Brennan said left her without the means to ‘issue consequences.’
Dawn R. Wolfe Aug 11, 2020
After 78 Days, Michigan Teen Who Was Jailed For Failing To Complete Her Homework While On Probation Is Released
The Michigan Court of Appeals ordered her immediate release pending an appeal of a circuit court judge’s decision to jail the teen, known as “Grace,” in mid-May.
Dawn R. Wolfe Aug 03, 2020
Mississippi Teen Who Has Languished In Jail For 17 Months Without An Indictment Is Just ‘One Of Thousands’
Sixteen-year-old William Haymon has spent more than 500 days in an adult jail in rural Lexington, Mississippi. There are no state rules governing how long a person can be incarcerated without being formally charged with a crime.
Lauren Gill Jul 30, 2020
Michigan Judge Refuses To Release Black Teenager Who Was Jailed For Not Doing Homework
Judge Mary Ellen Brennan sent the 15-year-old, known as Grace, to juvenile detention in May for violating her probation by not completing online schoolwork. On Monday, the judge said Grace was ‘blooming’ in the facility, despite arguments by Grace that she is falling behind.
Dawn R. Wolfe Jul 21, 2020
A 13-Year-Old Shot and Killed His Brother. Pennsylvania Police Charged Him as an Adult.
State law requires all murder charges be automatically filed in adult court, regardless of age.
Joshua Vaughn Jul 20, 2020
Sluggish LA County Courts Are Leaving Young People Locked Up During the Pandemic
While adults in the county have been granted expedited release in groups, the juvenile court continues to review cases individually.
LJ Dawson May 06, 2020
Children in Residential Treatment Centers Are Especially Vulnerable to COVID-19
Tens of thousands of children are in congregate care settings around the country, and some have already started to get sick.
Roxanna Asgarian May 05, 2020
Coronavirus Prompts Urgent Calls For Minors In Detention To Be Released
‘Continuing to maintain these youths in this hotbed of contagion poses an unconscionable and entirely preventable risk of harm,’ one lawsuit states.
Liz Robbins Mar 30, 2020
In Oregon, a Hopeful Sign for Those Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms as Children
The state’s attorney general decided to support resentencing hearings in two high-profile cases, though she had fought appeals in the past.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 12, 2020
Family Sues Pittsburgh Public School For Handcuffing 7-Year-Old
In a lawsuit, the boy’s family said he was repeatedly suspended, secluded, and violently restrained before he was ever given a special education evaluation.
Roxanna Asgarian Feb 04, 2020
Sexual Abuse In Youth Detention Facilities
A class-action lawsuit filed Saturday alleges that staff at a New Hampshire youth detention center subjected children to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse
Vaidya Gullapalli Jan 13, 2020
Despite Flat Crime Rates, More Cleveland-Area Young People Are Being Tried As Adults
District Attorney Michael O’Malley’s 2016 election was viewed by some as a win for Black Lives Matter, but the number of children transferred to adult court in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, has increased more than 100 percent.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 22, 2019
A Deadly Father-And-Son Bank Robbery Raises Questions About Culpability and The Adolescent Mind
Christopher Lay grew up under the influence of a father who was mentally ill. Drawn into a crime at age 19, he’s now seeking a second chance that could help other young adults demand the same.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Oct 18, 2019
The Officer Who Arrested A 6-Year-Old Was Fired But Don’t Expect Much Change
Spotlights like this one provide original commentary and analysis on pressing criminal justice issues of the day. You can read them each day in our newsletter, The Daily Appeal. Meralyn Kirkland got a call last Thursday about her granddaughter, Kaia Rolle. She was told that the 6-year-old girl had been arrested at her Orlando charter school and was […]
Sarah Lustbader Sep 24, 2019
Their Juvenile Records Were Sealed. Decades Later, They’ve Reappeared.
The Washington State Patrol has added thousands of old sealed juvenile records to a database it shares with law enforcement agencies across the country—erasing for many their chance of a clean slate.
Tori Marlan Sep 24, 2019
Alabama Sex Offender Registry Is Cruel and Unusual Punishment for Teenagers, Lawsuit Argues
Young people convicted as adults face a ‘life sentence’ of registry restrictions, attorneys say.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 19, 2019
‘I felt it was my responsibility’: Why A Probation Commissioner Spent 25 Hours in San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall
A member of San Francisco’s juvenile probation commission, a citizen oversight body, talked to the Daily Appeal about her decision to spend a day and a night inside the city’s juvenile hall.
Vaidya Gullapalli Sep 13, 2019
Report Praises High School in Jail But Fails to Ask Why Kids Are Locked Up at All
A Pittsburgh public radio piece lacked critical reporting about the many problems with jailing children in adult facilities.
Adam H. Johnson Sep 13, 2019
Pepper Spray Is Toxic, Experts Say. So Why Is It Being Used on Children?
California is one of only six states that allow staff in juvenile facilities to carry pepper spray. But LA’s coming ban is still facing pushback.
Charlotte West Sep 10, 2019
New York Law Removes ‘Unnecessary’ Step for Children Charged With Felonies
16-year-olds won’t have to reappear in adult criminal court if they’re arrested when youth court isn’t in session.
Lauren Gill Sep 03, 2019
He Entered Prison As a ‘Whiskerless Kid.’ Will Oregon Ever Let Him Out?
Despite supporting Oregon’s new juvenile justice law, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is still fighting to keep people in prison who received life sentences as minors.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 03, 2019
Number Of Young People Charged In Philadelphia’s Adult Court Drops Sharply
The decline under DA Larry Krasner, who took office in 2018, marks a significant change in juvenile justice in Pennsylvania.
Joshua Vaughn Aug 30, 2019
‘You Don’t Own Me’
At 16, Larry Rosser was imprisoned for killing a woman who sexually and physically abused him. He served 22 years in the California prison system before being released in 2017, after parole commissioners became convinced he was a rehabilitated victim.
Aaron Morrison Aug 28, 2019
A Michigan Prosecutor’s ‘Mistake’ Becomes A Family’s ‘Nightmare’
A 10-year-old was charged with assault for throwing a ball at a classmate. The case was dropped, but its effect is still felt.
Raven Rakia Aug 22, 2019