tagged w/ Juvenile
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On Sunday, the Pentagon admitted that 12 juveniles -- those under the age of 18 at the time their alleged crimes took place -- have been held at Guantanamo Bay (as opposed to the figure of eight that was submitted to the UN in May). But a RAW STORY count, drawn from the Pentagon's own records, reveals that the total number of juveniles held at Guantanamo is at least 22 -- nearly double the official Pentagon figure.On Sunday, the Pentagon admitted that 12 juveniles -- those under the age of 18 at the... more
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Iran has executed 26 juvenile offenders since the start of 2005, accounting for the vast majority of people under age 18 executed around the world, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
The New York-based group said Iran was one of five countries known to have executed juveniles since January 2005. Saudi Arabia and Sudan each executed two juveniles, and Pakistan and Yemen, one.
"We are only five states away from a complete ban on the juvenile death penalty," said Clarisa Bencomo, Middle East children's rights researcher for Human Rights Watch. "These few holdouts should abandon this barbaric practice so that no one ever again is executed for a crime committed as a child."
The report said in Pakistan, Yemen and Sudan the execution of people under 18 was outlawed, but because birth registration levels were low young offenders can have trouble proving their age and are often treated as adults.
"In Iran and Saudi Arabia ... these sentences are the result of deliberate state policies to retain the juvenile death penalty, combined with criminal justice systems that fail to provide children with fundamental protections against unfair trials," the report said.
It said Iran executed eight juvenile offenders in 2007. So far in 2008, it executed at least six juvenile offenders and more than 130 others are under sentence of death, it said.
"Judges can impose the death penalty in capital cases if the defendant has attained 'majority,' defined in Iranian law as 9 years for girls and 15 years for boys," it said.
In Saudi Arabia, the report said judges have discretion to impose the death penalty on children from puberty or 15 years, whichever comes first. Two juveniles were among at least 158 people executed in 2007 in Saudi Arabia, it said.
"Even states that still execute juvenile offenders acknowledge that such executions are wrong," said Bencomo. "But changes in law and practice need to be faster."
Human Rights Watch called on U.N. member states to ask U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to issue a report on compliance with the international ban on the juvenile death penalty.
Iran has executed 26 juvenile offenders since the start of 2005, accounting for the... more
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Cochise County sheriff’s spokeswoman Carol Capas says deputies were called to a home Friday near Douglas on the Mexican border. They found 34-year-old Sara Madrid shot multiple times. She died at a hospital.
The boy was booked into the county juvenile detention center on a charge of first-degree murder.
Capas says the boy was at home with his mother, stepfather and a sibling when an argument broke out. The parents left, and when they returned the boy opened fire on his mom. No one else was hurt.
Capas says she does not know what the argument was about. Cochise County sheriff’s spokeswoman Carol Capas says deputies were called to a... more
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A survey by the U.S. Department of Justice found that Texas juvenile prisons led the nation in incidents of sexual violence during 2005 and 2006.
The department's Bureau of Justice Statistics cautioned that the survey was "not designed to rank systems" but provides "an understanding of what corrections officials know [and] what information is recorded."
The survey was released Thursday. It said Texas reported 21 substantiated allegations of staff sexual misconduct with youths in 2005 and 2006. No other state reported more than nine.
Also, Texas reported 26 substantiated allegations of "youth on youth nonconsensual sexual acts." The next highest was Wisconsin, with nine.
Texas accounted for 29 percent of such substantiated allegations nationwide, though the state's share of youth incarcerated was only 11 percent of the national total.
The Texas Youth Commission, the state agency that incarcerates juvenile offenders, collapsed in 2007 after revelations of widespread sexual and physical abuse of inmates.
Top TYC managers resigned or were fired, and the Legislature enacted a sweeping agency overhaul. TYC spokesman Jim Hurley said Thursday that many improvements have been made to combat sexual assault, including the installation of surveillance cameras and complaint hotlines and a strengthened TYC inspector general's office.
"We have a number of safeguards put into place to address those situations that were occurring in the past," Mr. Hurley said. "I'm sure we would look a lot better now."
** Everything is bigger in Texas! Ugh...
A survey by the U.S. Department of Justice found that Texas juvenile prisons led the... more
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ag0093
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added this
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3 years ago
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Menominee Tribal School students in Keshena, Wisconsin are learning valuable lessons about protecting the environment and learning their tribe’s heritage including keeping native language alive.
In April 2008 the tribal school’s 180 students participated in “Clean Up the Rez Day" by picking up garbage around the reservation. The many environment projects at the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin were part of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day challenge. During a drum & feast to honor the students, teacher Beth Waukechon and culture teacher Dana Warrington explained the importance of taking care of Mother Earth. During a field trip to Green Bay's Pamprin Park, students climbing a replica of the Planet Earth were reminded of their reservation clean up. The 234,000-acre reservation has thick forests and 24-miles of the pristine Wolf River. Sturgeons spawned in reservation portions of the river until two dams were built blocking annual migration. Fifth grader La-Rie Corn hopes to form an Earth Club at the tribal school. After whitewashing gang graffiti at a popular skateboard park, students replaced negative symbols with American Indian art. Corn, 11, knows about 500 Menominee words thanks to teachers & elders that care about saving their native tongue. Fourth graders Tahekiah Bourdon, Raven Webster, Shae Perez, Naneque Latender, & Sherlinda Nahwahquaw learned the importance of respecting the Earth and how it fits their heritage.
Teacher Beth Waukechon said students will hopefully continue environment friendly practices as they grow older. MITW Restorative Justice Coordinator Claudette Hewson said the Menominee Teen Court Panel picked up litter & removed graffiti from roads signs in the Middle Village housing area. Tribal school students learned about the sturgeon, a vital part of Menominee heritage. Named the “People of the Wild Rice,” Menominee legend calls the sturgeon “the protector” of the grain that grows in water.
Corn said sturgeon hold a high place in Menominee culture because they're one of three gifts the creator gave to the Menominee people. Language arts instructor Joe Awonohopay said Earth Week 2008 classes were devoted to the sturgeon including the effects of pollution on life cycle, habitat, biology and more.
The College of Menominee Nation Implementing Sustainable Development Class collected electronic waste & pharmaceuticals. Students collected 23 pounds of medicines including 100 bottles of pills. The college students won 50 recycling bins in the Coca-Cola National Recycling Coalition Bin Grant. The class participated in the 10-week Recycle Mania project for the second year in a row. College Prof. Dr.William Van Lopik said the class is “actually doing something." Including curbside collections, Menominee reservation residents recycled over four tons of electronics.
Sponsors: Community Resource Center, Menominee Tribal Police, Tribal Clinic, Maehnowesekiyah Wellness Center, Probation & Parole, Recreation Department, Community Recycling Project; Menominee County Sheriff’s Department, Keshena U.S. Post Office.
The Earth Healing Initiative assisted some challenge organizers with interfaith liaisons & encouraged churches/temples to participate in Earth Day events. Videos on 2008 Challenge projects made possible ban US Environmental Protection Agency grant, EPA Region 5 office in Chicago, EPA Great Lakes National Program Office.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes, churches/synagogues, other faith traditions working to heal, protect and defend the environment.
Websites:
http://www.menominee-nsn.gov
http://mtsbia.edu
http://www.menominee.edu
http://www.earthhealinginitiative.org/keshenahtml
http://www.earthhealinginitiative.org
http://www.menominee-nsn.gov/healthFamily/maehnowesekiyah/maehHomephp
http://www.menominee-nsn.gov/healthFamily/youthDevel/youthHomephp
Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain/Interfaith Resources/Special Ideas:
http://www.interfaithresources.comMenominee Tribal School students in Keshena, Wisconsin are learning valuable lessons... more
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Alameda County has agreed to pay $4.3 million to settle a lawsuit filed by youths who said their civil rights were violated when they were strip-searched at Juvenile Hall after family visits and for minor offenses.
Under a settlement approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors, $2.8 million has been set aside for the 7,000 claims that are expected to be filed by youths who were strip-searched under certain conditions in the past several years, said the plaintiffs' attorney Mark Merin.
Depending on the circumstances, claimants could get from $300 to $2,500 for each incident, Merin said.
An additional $225,000 will be given to the three named plaintiffs who filed suit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco last year. All three said that they were subjected to group strip searches between 2003 and 2005 for misdemeanor offenses.
County officials could not be reached for comment.
Less than a month ago, the supervisors approved a $6.2 million settlement of a federal class-action suit involving illegal strip searches at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, which houses adults. In that suit, filed in January 2006, Daniel Schaffer said he was strip-searched after he was arrested for a traffic warrant.
"We're very pleased that the juvenile authorities have cut out strip-searches," Merin said Thursday. "They're no longer strip-searching kids routinely upon arrival at Juvenile Hall."
Merin said "the most bothersome thing" was the fact that youths were strip-searched - often in groups - immediately after family visits.
"So not only was it a discouragement to visit with your family, knowing this was going to happen afterward, it was particularly embarrassing because they had to expose themselves in front of their peers. I hope the message finally gets through to the penal institutions and Juvenile Hall that they have to be more respectful of their clientele."
The youths who filed suit "did, in fact, view the naked bodies of other juvenile detainees as they were required to expose their body cavities for visual inspection by defendants," the complaint said.
Merin said California law prohibits routinely strip-searching Juvenile Hall or jail inmates between the time of their arrest and their first bail hearing or adult arraignment, if the arrest was for a misdemeanor not involving violence or drugs.
Continued story at the link.Alameda County has agreed to pay $4.3 million to settle a lawsuit filed by youths who... more
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The owner of a web site in Germany who hosted free forums for discussions alerted the authorities that some individuals were using his web site to exchange juvenile pornography material.The owner of a web site in Germany who hosted free forums for discussions alerted the... more
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17 year-old is being charged in the murder in the fatal shootings of HIS mother and two little girls one of which was rapper Juvenile's 4-year-old daughter.
It's not really all that more important that it was Juvenile's daughter being killed. Though it's probably what put the story in the headlines.
What is more important, what is up with kids killing kids, killing their families, killing defenseless little girls, killing period? What is the state of the world, how horrible has it gotten, that this feels like the new trend. Teenagers, kids, picking up guns and shooting people. 17 year-old is being charged in the murder in the fatal shootings of HIS mother and... more
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(Marquette, Michigan) - The Manoomin Project is restoring wild rice to northern Michigan after the grain disappeared a century ago due to logging, pesticides and other manmade impact.
Over 100 at-risk teens are learning to respect themselves, nature and American Indian culture by planting more than one ton of wild rice during the past four summers. The teens also learn about social issues like racism against Native Americans.
The 2007 planting was delayed six weeks until November due to low water levels.
The teens first participate as part of juvenile court probation for minor crimes but many enjoy the project so much they return the next year.
Guides from several tribes volunteer to teach the teens how to take water samples, and about the historical and cultural importance of the grain that is used in many American Indian ceremonies.
The project was founded by the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC).
Guides belong to KBIC, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa (Ottawa) Indians based in downstate Harbor Springs, Michigan, and the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa located close to International Falls, Minnesota near the Canadian border.
Rev. Jon Magnuson, project founder, praised the tribes for working with the teens, most of whom are white. The project includes classroom time, stress reduction exercises, and learning about social issues like prejudice against Native Americans.
In July 2007, the teens heard from Ojibwa elder and Vietnam War veteran Glen Bressette who explained he was the target of racism while their age and overcame problems familiar to the youth like substance abuse and scrapes with the law that included being shot at by police while stealing gas.
The teens witnessed Bressette have a dramatic flashback when a helicopter flew low and close to their meeting site along Lake Superior. He had been a gunner aboard a chopper in Vietnam.
American Indian guide Don Chosa said the teens carry hundreds of pounds of wild rice seeds for miles through thick forests and over mountains to get to seven secret remote planting sites along rivers and lakes. During the hikes, the teens have come upon bears, eagles and other wildlife.
An annual "Blessing of the Wild Rice" ceremony is held that includes American Indian food, songs, language, and prayers. If they want, the teens have the opportunity to learn about God and the environment but they are not forced to be be involved in any religious activities.
Manoomin Project volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson looks at the 2007 planting and four years of success.(Marquette, Michigan) - The Manoomin Project is restoring wild rice to northern... more
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