Youth Radio -- Youth Media International: D.C.'s Juvenile Justice System Sees Real Change

Originally published on Youthradio.org, the premier source for youth generated news throughout the globe.

By: Sayre Quevedo

In Washington D.C., the Oak Hill juvenile detention center was well-known for its decaying interior, rampant drug-use, and abusive guards. As part of sweeping reforms, Oak Hill was closed in 2009 and replaced by a smaller and dramatically different facility, appropriately-named New Beginnings Youth Development Center.

A report released this week titled, "From Notorious to Notable," authored by Liz Ryan from the Campaign For Youth Justice and Marc Schindler from Venture Philanthropy Partners, details the transformation of Washington's D.C.'s juvenile justice system in the years since 2000 when then Mayor Anthony Williams' appointed a Blue Ribbon Commission to reexamine the issue.

We interviewed Daniel Okonkwo, founder and the Executive Director of DC Lawyers for Youth (DCLY), which provides legal representation to young people and works to reform juvenile justice policy. DCLY partners with the New Beginnings Youth Development Center, where many of the changes detailed in the report have been seen firsthand by Okonkwo.

Sayre Quevedo: So it's been almost two years since Oak Hill was closed and New Beginnings was opened. Are there any tangible changes you have seen in the community and among youth since this has happened?

Daniel Okonkwo: Yes, absolutely.? There have been a lot of real changes. I think most noticeably, and the crown jewel in the juvenile justice agency's crown, is that there are over 19 young people who are in college right now who have come through New Beginnings.

At Oak Hill, that was impossible. A lot of the kids at Oak Hill were actually suspended from the school [within the facility], so not only were they ripped from their communities and taken away from their community schools and isolated, they weren't even getting an education at Oak Hill. But now we have young people who are coming out [of New Beginnings] and getting reconnected to school and reconnected to the degree that they're going onto college.

There are also young people that are learning trades. There's a metal workshop that New Beginnings has that teaches kids vocational work. No thought was given to the reentry? of young people [back into their communities] during the days of Oak Hill. Or if there was any thought it was, "just give them some schooling and they'll be okay on their own." New Beginnings actually tracks them 6 months out to make sure they're still connected to school.

SQ: In the report, "From Notorious to Notable" it says that beyond fixing the facility, there was a focus on more community resources for youth. What sort of resources are there now?

DO: Right now we have a system where kids are connected to community-based services such as mentoring, workforce development, art education, and athletics trainings, and other vocation skill-building. So what happens when a young person comes out of New Beginnings is that there's a meeting between them, the counselors at New Beginnings and the community organizations, to connect them to those services.

In 2009, only around 12 percent of young people were connected to any service, whether it be mentoring, after-school programs, coming out of New Beginnings. But now, over 88 percent are connected to two or more services. That means that young people when they come out don't just come back to their community and aren't just left dangling on their own, trying to find ways to fill their time, they're connected to services that engage them.? And also are able to kind of monitor their behavior without the stigma of being locked up.

SQ: How are the transitional programs at New Beginnings different from what was in place before?

DO: What would happen before was that a young person would come out and if there were any services they were connected to, they wouldn't know about them until they left the walls of Oak Hill. Right now those meetings happen while they're still in the facility.

There isn't a lag time, if you will, in-between them getting out and them getting connected to services. They know about the services as they're walking out.? There's this whole idea that reentry planning should start when they enter the facility. And that's what's happening at New Beginnings.

SQ: Where do you see it going from here? Do you seen any national reform on the horizon?

DO:? D.C. is part of a national movement to start closing down big, megalithic, juvenile jail-type facilities. It's happening in Louisiana. It's happening in New York State.?

As far as what is coming next, what I think what D.C. needs to do, and any other state that is going towards a community-based model of supervision, is that we need to continue to invest in these organizations that are doing this community work.? It's important that city governments, even in tough budgetary times, continue to value this work and fund it because it's much more fiscally responsible to fund these community-based organizations than it is to put money into incarceration or building new youth facilities.

SQ: What sort of change has the juvenile justice system in D.C. seen as a whole, if any?

DO: It's seen significant changes.? By no means are these reforms complete or has any job been accomplished but I think we are moving in the right direction. We've seen re-offending rates drop, we've seen the overall arrests of juveniles drop to their lowest rates in a very long time, certainly a lot lower than when Oak Hill was being used.

And those are two really big changes because the community needs to feel like these reforms are working and they need to feel safe, and they should. I think with crime rates and arrests going down that's one accomplishment.

I also think one of the big changes is that people, not only advocates like myself, but I think community based organizations as well as the city government, are realizing that juvenile justice work is not just having a youth jail, it's really making sure that young people have communities that have organizations, that have services and programs in them that keep kids either? one, from not coming in contact with the system or two,? if they do come into contact with any system there are the resources that make sure they don't do it again.

SQ: What sort of work is DC Lawyers for Youth doing right now?

DO: Right now we're working on a number of fronts. We started as an organization that was primarily concerned with insuring that the D.C. Juvenile Justice System is one that is treatment based rather than punishment based.? And so we did that through a lot of legislative advocacy, so weighing in on legislative proposals that affect juvenile justice policy.

Right now we're doing that but we're also doing a lot of coalition building. So we bring in organizations of people who work with youth generally, and youth in the juvenile justice arena, to try and make sure that our coalition is working to ensure a rehabilitative system is more than subject matter. We're trying to get people to understand that juvenile justice work is not just justice work, it's youth work.

Youth Radio/Youth Media International (YMI) is youth-driven converged media production company that delivers the best youth news, culture and undiscovered talent to a cross section of audiences. To read more youth news from around the globe and explore high quality audio and video features, visit Youthradio.org

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/youth-radio-youth-media-international/dcs-juvenile-justice-syst_b_1126470.html

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?Leaked? Facebook Law Enforcement Guides Already Available, Still Bad For PR

Facebook Law Enforcement Guidelines DoneSeveral news outlets today wrongly reported that Anonymous Antisec hackers had leaked "newly available" Facebook law enforcement guidelines that explain how and what data can be obtained by officials with a subpoena, warrant, or court order. In fact, many versions of the outdated guides were already widely available thanks to an Electronic Frontier Foundation Freedom of Information Act request, as well as other sources. Though previously available and out of date, the new coverage about how Facebook provides user information when obliged by law could stoke fears about data privacy and Big Brother. By being more public with its law enforcement, guidelines Facebook could have avoided seemingly like it had something worth "leaking".

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ewgD8srWOkc/

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NASA's biggest Mars rover poised for blastoff (AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ? NASA is all set to launch the world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer.

A six-wheeled, one-armed Mars rover is due to blast off Saturday morning from Cape Canaveral. The unmanned Atlas V rocket will put the spacecraft on an 8 1/2-month trek to the red planet.

The rover, nicknamed Curiosity, is the size of a car. It's a mobile laboratory holding 10 science instruments that will sample Martian soil and rocks, and analyze them right there on the surface. There's a drill as well as a stone-zapping laser machine.

Curiosity will spend two years looking for evidence that Mars may once have been ? or still is ? suitable for microbial life.

The mission costs $2.5 billion.

Forecasters expect decent launching weather.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_sc/us_sci_mars_rover

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Tendulkar again falls short of 100th century (Reuters)

MUMBAI (Reuters) ? Sachin Tendulkar fell short of his 100th international century once again on Friday after being dismissed for 94 on the fourth morning of the third and final test against West Indies.

The master batsman, unbeaten on 67 overnight, hit three boundaries and a six in the session and looked set to secure the coveted ton that has eluded him since he last made three figures in the 50-over World Cup in April.

But his innings came to an abrupt and crowd-silencing end when he edged paceman Ravi Rampaul to West Indies captain Darren Sammy at second slip, leaving the hosts on 322 for five wickets at his home Wankhede Stadium ground.

The visibly frustrated 38-year-old trudged back to the pavilion, slowing down briefly to catch a replay of his dismissal on one of the giant screens above a grandstand as the disbelieving crowd slumped back into their seats.

Tendulkar's only other false shot in the innings had come on Thursday when he edged leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo on 58 but wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh failed to hold on to the tough chance.

Tendulkar, playing his 184th test, has scored 51 centuries in tests and 48 in one-dayers, his 99th ton coming in March against South Africa during the World Cup.

The right-hander displayed a wide range of attacking shots in the morning against the second new ball, including an upper cut six off paceman Fidel Edwards over the third man, before he fell in the 90s for the second time since his last ton.

Tendulkar is unlikely to bat again in this test after India avoided the follow-on and will either have to wait for the one-day series against West Indies, if he opts to play, or the four-test series in Australia starting in Melbourne on Dec. 26 for his next opportunity.

India hold an unassailable 2-0 lead over West Indies in the three-match series.

(Additional reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by John O'Brien. To comment on this story: email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/india_nm/india607242

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Consumer sentiment gains as gloom ebbs (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Consumer sentiment held up in late November as some of the gloom over the economic outlook ebbed, a survey released on Wednesday showed.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment came in at 64.1, up from 60.9 the month before.

The index was a hair lower than its preliminary reading of 64.2 and shy of the median forecast of 64.5 among economists polled by Reuters.

"The most important aspect of improved prospects for the economy was that consumers anticipated slight job gains," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.

"Consumers were no more positive about the current state of the economy, but they were less likely to expect the economy to worsen in the year ahead."

The survey said only a trivial number of interviews were conducted after the deadlock announcement by the congressional "super committee" charged with reaching a deal on deficit reductions, suggesting consumers had not incorporated the failed efforts into their economic expectations.

Even so, confidence in the ability of current policies to improve the economy has remained at record lows for the past several months and beleaguered consumers are sensitive to setbacks.

The survey's barometer of current economic conditions rose to 77.6 from 75.1, while the gauge of consumer expectations gained to 55.4 from 51.8.

The survey's one-year inflation expectation held steady at 3.2 percent, while the survey's five-to-10-year inflation outlook was also unchanged at 2.7 percent.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111123/bs_nm/us_usa_economy_sentiment

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Vote for your favorite WWE Superstars in the 2011 Mashable Awards finals

Thanks to the nominations of the WWE Universe, WWE, its Superstars and TV shows have been named as finalists in seven categories in the 2011 Mashable Awards, rewarding the year's best in digital and social media.

You can submit one vote per category at the Mashable Awards website every day until Dec, 16. Winners will be announced by Mashable on Dec. 19.

Click the links below daily to submit your votes for the winners:

DIGITAL COMPANY OF THE YEAR:
WWE

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WWE

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WWE RAW

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JOHN CENA
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WWE '12

BEST SOCIAL GOOD CAUSE CAMPAIGN:
be a STAR

The Mashable Awards is a community-nominated voting program that recognizes the companies, people and projects that made the biggest impact on the digital landscape this year.

WWE took home two Mashable Awards in 2010: John Cena was named "Most Influential Social Good Champion" for his work with Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Stand Up For WWE was named 2011's "Most Creative Social Media Campaign." WWE was also a finalist for "Must Follow Brand," and John Cena was a finalist for 2010's "Must Follow Personality."

Source: http://www.wwe.com/socialold/mashable-awards-wwe-finalists

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Nook Tablet gets rooted, bootloader stays under lock and key

Jealous of that root-ready Kindle Fire, but not ready to trudge through the Amazon to get it? Don't worry, you can stay huddled up with your Nook Tablet and get all the device rooting you want -- with a few caveats. Although the good folks on the XDA Forums haven't unlocked the slab's bootloader just yet, they've managed to root the tablet all the same. Jumping through a few technical hoops (or stumbling across forum user Indirect's one-click Windows utility) will score you access to the Android market and another way to sideload apps on the souped up slate. Custom ROMs? Not yet; in addition to killing the root with every device reboot, the locked bootloader is keeping the Nook's tweaked build of Android 2.3 front and center. Hit up the source link below to get started.

Update: Indirect has updated his forum post to clarify that the root is permanent.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nook Tablet gets rooted, bootloader stays under lock and key originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coffee delivers jolt deep in the brain

Caffeine strengthens electrical signals in rats? hippocampus

Web edition : Monday, November 21st, 2011

Most caffeine addicts would tell you that coffee sharpens the mind. It turns out that in rodents, a single dose of caffeine does indeed strengthen brain cell connections in an underappreciated part of the brain, scientists report online November 20 in Nature Neuroscience.

A clearer idea of caffeine?s effect on the brain could allow scientists to take advantage of its stimulating effects and perhaps even alleviate some symptoms of brain disorders. ?Caffeine is something people are very interested in,? says neuroscientist Susan Masino of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., who was not involved in the study.

So far, most of caffeine?s effects have been illuminated by studies using doses much higher than an average person?s morning cup of joe, says study coauthor Serena Dudek of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Dudek and her team looked at the effects of smaller hits of caffeine on a small part of the hippocampus. In humans, this seahorse-shaped structure is buried deep in the brain behind the ears. After feeding rats the equivalent of two human cups of coffee (two milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight), the team measured the strength of nerve cells? electrical messages in slices of brain tissue. Nerve cells in this particular nook ? a brain region called CA2 ? got a major jolt from caffeine, showing a bigger burst of electrical activity when researchers stimulated the cells. Nerve cells in a neighboring part of the hippocampus didn?t show this sensitivity.

And the higher the caffeine dose, the stronger the effect. A caffeine dose 10 times higher ? a dose reached by only die-hard caffeine consumers ? caused an even bigger response in nerve cells in the CA2 region.

The team found similar effects when they applying caffeine directly to CA2 nerve cells in a dish, a result that rules out effects from post-caffeine changes in blood flow. After five minutes of caffeine exposure, the synapses stayed amped up for three hours.

??We don?t know what it looks like in humans, but in rodents, we think this is the area most sensitive to caffeine,? Dudek says.

These strengthened synapses in the hippocampus may have a role in learning and memory, which makes sense because one of the main jobs of the hippocampus is to form spatial memories. (After navigating London?s labyrinthine roads for years, for instance, cab drivers have larger hippocampi than normal folks.)

Though the results are the first to establish CA2 as a caffeine hot spot, it?s too early to say how the research will apply to people, says psychologist Harris Lieberman of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass. ?It?s hard to jump from these kinds of studies to direct application to humans.?


Found in: Body & Brain

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/336359/title/Coffee_delivers_jolt_deep_in_the_brain

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British actress Emma Watson signs autographs as she arrives for the UK Premiere of 'My Week with Marilyn' in central London on November 20, 2011. AFP PHOTO/CARL COURT

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