Cross-posted from Huffington Post. James Bell, Founder and Executive Director of the W. Haywood Burns Institute. Last week, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released a report that revealed about 12 percent of youths nationwide held in state-run, privately run or local facilities reported some type of sexual victimization including forced sexual activity with other youth Read more
A recent incident in Omaha, Nebraska brings urgency to an issue soon to be debated in Congress regarding the handling of youth offenders by juvenile and criminal justice systems. In this case, police shot a 15-year-old boy in the chest following a traffic stop. Investigators said the boy shot at police first. The case has led one local senator to call for an overhaul of Nebraska's juvenile justice system that would identify "aggressive juvenile offenders." This is a dangerous reaction to a singular incident. But it is not uncommon. Politicians often legislate by anecdote. When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Webcam learning moment: It’s important to remember you’re on camera and that you have to look right at the webcam.
The death of the last Kennedy brother, if we aren't careful, could be the death of the language of justice from even the most liberal wing of the Democratic Party. "Martin Luther King devoted his life to love and justice," Robert F Kennedy said during his run for president as he announced at a rally that King had been assassinated in Memphis.