CFK Reports From: Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids
Event: Author presentation and discussion
Organized By: Cato Institute
Where/When: Cato Institute, Washington DC, April 20, 2006

Maia Szalavitz, the author of Help at Any Cost (Riverhead, 2006), spoke about what she learned in the process of researching and writing her book, which looks at the continued reliance by some states and parents on a "tough love" form of addiction treatment for adolescents that relies on physical intimidation, humiliation and isolation.

NIJ's annual conference on criminal justice research, development, and evaluation in the social and physical sciences.

Last month Connect for Kids reported on Teenangels, young volunteers who help their peers understand the importance of Internet safety. What other efforts are underway to help protect children and youth from being exploited through social networking online? Cecilia Garcia reports.

Research shows that as many as 60 percent of students are "chronically disengaged" from school. This report from the Coalition for Community Schools offers evidence that community-based learning—which integrates different strategies, including service learning, place-based education, environmental and civic education, and work and community service—can help re-engage students using real-world content and issues. The community-based approach is linked with higher attendance rates, improved academic performance, and on-time graduation.

Unlike the more familiar juvenile offender justice system, it's not always clear how the juvenile victim justice system works, and how the many agencies serving young victims of crime—from police and courts to child protective services and mental health agencies—interact. This bulletin looks at how cases move through the system and the typical processes in the juvenile victim justice system.

The National League of Cities is "meeting young people where they are"—online! This site helps active youth leaders connect with others and share ideas on how to improve their communities. It includes online discussion forums, blogs by young activists, and a list of upcoming events.

(Issue brief) Although encouraging positive youth development is increasingly taking hold in many sectors of child advocacy, the juvenile justice system tends to rely on a traditional detention and punishment approach. This Chapin Hall issue brief examines current practices for youthful offenders and evidence that drawing on positive youth development strategies can improve services and outcomes for young offenders. (Free registration required.)

A once-a-week adult-student mentoring meeting does not an after-school program make, according to this brief from the Forum for Youth Investment. But perhaps, with a little help, it could. The question is not which makes more sense, mentoring or after-school, but how can we utilize both strategies to increase the likelihood that young people have the supports they need to thrive. The 8-page brief offers some ideas.

People of color comprise one-third of the U.S. population. These Americans are less likely to have health insurance, a medial "home," and access to preventive care and routine services. Families USA created this action kit to give community leaders information, tools, and resources for health advocacy in their communities. The kit includes a look at Medicaid and SCHIP and their impact on racial and ethnic health disparities.

These National Crime Prevention Council minigrants support service-learning projects planned and implemented by youth.