Psychotherapy Proves Fatal
On April 17, Colorado Governor Bill Owens banned the use of “rebirthing” therapy in his state in response to the death of 10-year-old Candace Newmaker, who died while undergoing the therapy <http://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/04/17/rebirthing.ban/index.html>. However, reports suggest that the technique is usually carried out safely. In this case, the young patient did not consent to the treatment, and her requests to stop the session were ignored. The two Colorado therapists and Candace’s adoptive mother, who had flown the girl from North Carolina for the treatment, were all charged with child abuse:
<http://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/04/05/rebirthing.trial/index.html>. More
information on this story appears at
<http://www.msnbc.com/local/RMN/DRMN247886.asp?cp1=1>.
Two Less Curfew Laws
The ACLU has had some recent success with curfew cases; two news releases at <http://www.aclu.org/news/2001/n032 201c.html> and <http://www.aclu.org/news/2001/n032301a.html> report that a curfew law in Anchorage, Alaska was struck down by a court on March 22, and a ruling which found a West New York, New Jersey curfew ordinance unconstitutional was upheld by a state appeals court on March 23.
More Girls Going to Jail
To keep juvenile detention centers full in this period of declining youth crime, law enforcement agencies are making up the difference by arresting more girls, who, according to an American Bar Association report, are generally detained for less serious offenses than boys. A brief article appears at
<http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/news/2001/apr/30/043009351.html>.
Media Misleads in Crime Coverage
A new study called “Off Balance: Youth, Race and Crime in the News” demonstrates that the news media unduly portrays youth and minorities as perpetrators of violence. Homicide coverage on network news increased 473% from 1990 to 1998, the study finds, while actual homicides decreased 32.9% in the same period. In California, in a year in which youth were responsible for 14% of all arrests for violent offenses, about 70% of the local news stories on violence involved youth. The report appears at
<http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/media/>.
Victims Billed for Abuser’s Treatment
After serving his eight-year jail sentence for the aggravated sexual assault of his two children, Nelden McMickle was moved to a psychiatric facility, as permitted by a 1993 New Jersey law allowing the state to commit sex offenders who may continue to pose a threat. But a 1918 state law holds relatives partly responsible for court-ordered psychiatric care, so McMickle’s two grown children are now required to submit their tax returns to the state’s Department of Human Services, to determine how much of their father’s annual $90,000 bill they will be required to pay. The siblings, according to the story at <http://www.apbnews.com/newscenter/breakingnews/2001/03/26/story_sexually_abused_children.html>, have refused to comply and are pursuing legal action.
Connecticut Fails to Report Abuse
The Hartford Courant reports that while Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families had clear evidence of serious physical abuse taking place at one of its juvenile institutions in 1999, they did not report the case to the State’s Attorney for investigation or prosecution, as required by state law. Since the abuses documented took place in 1998 and 1999, many of the cases cannot be prosecuted, due to a one-year statute of limitations on assaults. Further details are given at
<http://www.ctnow.com/scripts/editorial.dll?eetype=Article&eeid=4322580&render=y&Table=&ck=&ver=2.5>.
Six-Year-Old Taken Seriously
A New Mexico kindergarten student was suspended from school for nine days for shouting at a classmate that he was going to kill her. A hearing was scheduled to consider the possibility of a full year’s suspension for the threat. See
<http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2001/apr/06/040606435.html>
.
Informant Sued for Following Rules
Kristina Tapia, a high school student in Lancaster, California, reported to school authorities a death threat she overheard a fellow student make; her family is now being sued by that student’s family for slander and defamation of character, as reported at <http://www.cnn.com/2001/fyi/teachers.ednews/03/26/school.whistleblower/>. A court ruled that the school district did not have to help with the Tapias’ $40,000 legal bill.
Behavior Study Reports the Obvious
A North Carolina study found that high schoolers who frequently watched wrestling on TV were more likely to get into fights, carry weapons, and use alcohol or chewing tobacco. Completely forgetting the difference between correlation and causation, the researchers concluded that viewing wrestling on television was the cause of the other behaviors. The organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Ed's Note: Those eternally sympathetic friends of Youth Rights *gag*) considered this story worthy of note; it appears at
<http://jtodirect.madd.org/plugin.jtml?siteID=MADD&p=2&Tab=News&Object_ID=267333>.
Three Heroin Deaths, None Teenagers
The Reno Gazette-Journal of May 1, 2001 reported overdose deaths of three adults in three days; two were in their 40s (the other person’s age was not mentioned). The tiny news item at <http://www.rgj.com/news2/stories/news/988784777.html> did not speculate on a new “wave” of heroin abuse among adults, but simply warned of “bad heroin” going around.
Mental Declines Start Early
In an article we overlooked last November, researchers found that deterioration in short-term memory and mental agility do not begin in old age, as commonly believed. Tests indicate that people in their 20s are already going downhill, with the declines continuing at a constant rate throughout the life span. Performance on tests for these skills indicates that “decreases of almost 1 percent per year are found in samples of healthy adults”, according to a Georgia Institute of Technology psychologist. The full article may be found at
<http//www.freep.com/news/health/think17_20001117.htm>.
Impetuous Adults Unsafe Riders
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, the average age of motorcycle accident fatalities rose from 29.3 to 36.5 in the past decade. From 1994 to 1999, as deaths among bikers younger than 35 dropped 22%, they increased 59% among bikers 35 and older. The story appears at
<http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/20010325/t000025852.html>.
Hotheaded Adults Unsafe Spectators
From the May 6 New York Times (although it seems like old news): reports from the National Alliance for Youth Sports indicate that physical or verbal abuse by parents or coaches occurs in about 15% of youth games. A survey by the National Association of Sports Officials (which recently began offering assault insurance to its members) found that 90 percent of high schools reported problems with a shortage of referees. We found this story free online via <http://www.nytimes/com/2001/05/06/sports/06SPOR.html?ex=990417600&en=109abf6403900470&ei=5004&partner=NETZERO>.
Six Killed Doing Court-Ordered Work
Last year, six Nevada teenagers diverted by their county’s Family & Youth Services Department into a work program for non-violent offenders (in lieu of juvenile detention or fines) were struck by a car as they picked up trash along an interstate highway. One of the victims was in the work program because she couldn’t afford to pay the fine for a curfew violation. A commentary at <http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Mar-22-Wed-2000/opinion/13215737.html> questions whether child labor laws even permit teens to perform this type of work, in such close proximity to high-speed traffic. A state assembly bill <http://www.leg.state.nv.us/71st/Reports/history.cfm?ID=3410> has been introduced to stop these teen “chain gangs”.
Illinois “Youth Drug Law” Under Fire
A 1987 law requiring automatic transfer to adult court of minors charged with drug offenses “within 1000 feet of a school or public housing project” finally got some vigorous opposition at a May 4 protest outside the Chicago office of the Cook County State’s Attorney (see <http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/advisory_0509.html> for the announcement). The group’s press release points out that of the 259 Cook County youth transferred to adult court under the law last year, 258 were minorities. The discriminatory nature of the law is described in a report found at <http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/illinois/illinois.html>.
Tried As Adult; Treated As Child
A Florida 14-year old will face a first degree murder charge after his parents rejected a plea offer on his behalf. This article clearly states twice that the parents were the ones who rejected the plea—see <http://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/04/17/teacher.shooting.plea.02/index.html>. Our source for this story also points out that if a minor being tried as an adult obtained bail, the court would probably only allow his release to the “custody of his parents”—the “maturity” that the minor supposedly possesses to commit an adult crime does not entitle that minor to the rights of an adult.