Blog from the Justice Programs Office
The FBI finds a slight decrease in violent crime across the U.S., Michigan sets an example as the state awards nearly $1.2M in grants to veterans treatment courts, and Nevada is spotlighted for its lack of public defenders. All of these stories and more in this week’s news roundup.
The scene may be familiar: a family movie showing three young children, beginning a road trip to visit their mom who lives far away. The camera zooms in on one of the little girls and her uncle asks, “what do you tell people when they ask why Mommy is in Florida?” She responds, “I tell them that it’s something only the family needs to know about, and they seem okay with that.”
Continue reading “When we punish the family – a review of The Sentence”
US leadership works together to tackle the opioid crisis, a Juvenile Court in Ohio implements a diversion program for youth, and Missouri successfully passes legislation for veterans treatment courts . All of these stories and more in this week’s news roundup.
Continue reading “Friday News Roundup: September 21, 2018”
To kick off the new school year, I am delighted to welcome Dean Vicky Wilkins to JPO’s blog. Not only is Vicky a dear friend of my mine, she is the dean of the School of Public Affairs at American University, which houses JPO, and she has been an incredible partner to and administrator for this center. We share a commitment to providing opportunities for purpose-driven students to connect their learning to their passions. I’m proud of the students who have come to work for us at JPO and excited to see where their futures take them. I am also incredibly proud of leading an office filled with passionate professionals fueled by purpose.
– Director Kim Ball, Justice Programs Office
The first veteran graduates from a Florida treatment court, New York addresses the right to counsel in family court, and Missouri’s Senate blocks funding to restore state programs. All of these stories and more in this week’s news roundup.
Continue reading “Friday News Roundup: September 14, 2018”
Addiction is both a personal health crisis and a public health concern; it wreaks havoc on individual lives and can damage entire communities. The opioid crisis, for example, has led to the deaths of thousands of people, devastated families, and left cities and towns struggling financially from the loss of a workforce. How we understand addiction, therefore, has significant policy implications. The trouble is, addiction is difficult to treat, relapse is common, and there is no scientific rule to explain why any given drinker, user of prescription drugs, or recreational marijuana user becomes dependent or addicted.
Continue reading “The Dangerous Oversimplification of Addiction”
A veterans treatment court in Arizona gets a $2 million grant, Montgomery County funds public defenders to represent indigent clients, and a nonprofit organization in Virginia spearheads a movement to help incarcerated youth with proactive coping strategies. All of these stories and more in this week’s news roundup.
This month is full of new beginnings for JPO and for me. JPO is packing up and cleaning out, preparing for an office reconfiguration. We’ve grown and changed over the last two years and so have our needs. We’re losing our library and conference room to create more office space to house our growing team of experts and leaders—but isn’t everything online now, anyway, and, really, who meets in person anymore? Continue reading “New Beginnings – Fun and Stressful at the Same Time”