Family First: A group of Washington lawyers works to keep infants with their mothers
Emilie Cook is the preventative legal advocacy fellow at Emory University School of Law’s Barton Child Law and Policy Center. In her role, she supports and provides technical assistance to existing and emerging programs in about 30 states.
Georgia leading nation in new juvenile lifers
Georgia has seen a 100% increase in its number of juvenile lifers — young people, under 18, sentenced to life without parole — since 2012 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the sentence should be reserved for the rarest of cases, an investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has found.
The increase is placed in juxtaposition with the rest of the country, which is moving away from the most severe punishment. Today, 28 states, plus the District of Columbia, have banned juvenile life-without-parole sentences, according to Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, a D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy group. An additional five states still permit the punishment but have no juveniles currently serving the sentence.
Juvenile justice advocates want court to overturn Manitowoc County teen’s conviction
A group of juvenile justice advocates from the across the country filed a brief Friday, urging the state Court of Appeals to overturn Damian Hauschultz’s conviction for the death of his cousin, Ethan, 7. They argue juveniles, especially those with trauma histories such as the then-14-year-old Damian, cannot fully comprehend their situation to waive their Miranda rights.
Georgia Medicaid insurer denied psychotherapy for thousands
A newspaper finds that the insurance company that manages medical care for many Georgia children has denied or partially denied more than 6,500 requests for psychotherapy between 2019 and mid-2022.
Georgia kids in foster care face obstacles to access mental health services
The 11-year-old entered foster care in crisis. Within hours of being released from a psychiatric unit and arriving at her foster home, she smeared feces all over a bathroom and attempted to jump out of a window. Even so, the company that manages the …
Employees at Clayton teen shelter arrested for child molestation, cover up
The executive director of a shelter for teenagers and her son were arrested last week after a child was allegedly molested in their care, a crime that leaders at the facility are accused of covering up, according to police.
Lawmakers mull changes to reduce the number of foster kids in hotels
Georgia lawmakers are advancing bills that aim to reduce the number of kids entering foster care and temporary hotel placements, while advocates warned the changes would do little to achieve that end.
The six-bill package, backed by the state’s child …