crime prevention diversion drug rehabilitation Family prisons school to prison pipeline schools Youth

Preventing the school to prison pipeline

Hawai’i is working to improve it’s juvenile justice system which currently imprisons youth charged with status offenses. Here is an op ed I wrote about the need to improve school discipline to address our state’s school to prison pipeline. The editorial is reprinted below and was published in the Honolulu Star Advertiser December 29, 2013 and is on line at:http://www.staradvertiser.com/editorialspremium/20131229_Improving_school_disciplinary_policies_would_improve_juvenile_justice_system.html?id=237807351 Improving school disciplinary policies would improve juvenile justice system By Lorenn Walker POSTED Honolulu STAR-ADVERTISER:…

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courts diversion teen court youth court

Restorative interventions are safer than teen/youth court

Recently the Huffington Post posted a blog by Michael Shank Phd lamenting the termination of a teen court program in Washington DC. Two experienced restorative practitioners, Kris Miner, Marg Thorsborne and myself wrote the following comment voicing our concern with teen/youth court models: “Thank you [Dr. Shank] for pointing out the importance of juvenile diversion and the need to improve the unhelpful, and often damaging, juvenile justice system. While diversion should be provided by all…

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