The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on March 1 that it's unconstitutional to execute someone for a crime committed before age of 18. In preparation for the ruling, Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips recently reviewed the legal arguments—and the young journalists at Children's PressLine interviewed two young men on Texas' death row for crimes committed as teens.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has issued "Screening and Assessing Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Among Youth in the Juvenile Justice System," an 84-page online guide offering comprehensive, user-friendly information at various stages of the juvenile justice process. It includes profiles of more than 50 instruments, guidelines for selecting instruments, and best practice recommendations for diverse settings and situations.

In recent years, the number of nations which impose the death penalty against juvenile offenders has dwindled to a very small handful, including just one democracy: the U.S. With the Supreme Court poised to rule on the issue, Connect for Kids Editor Susan Phillips spoke with experts about evolving views of the juvenile death penalty.

The nonprofit National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) is now soliciting articles written by current and former court-involved youth about their experience. Young people whose essays are selected to appear in the publication, The Guardian will receive a $100 honorarium. All topics are fair game; NACC believes that youth must be given a legitimate voice in their cases and the legal system. Essays will be accepted on an on-going basis this year. For more information, contact Amanda George Donnelly, NACC staff attorney at 303-864-5321 or donnelly.amanda@tchden.org.

Young people leaving the justice system are more likely to stay on track when community agencies and schools are ready for their return. The Virginia Legal Aid Justice Center's JustChildren Program recommends that agencies establish clear roles and timelines for transferring records and re-enrolling students and that speedy placement in the least restrictive education environment is also key. They've issued a summary of best practices being used in states across the country. (Scroll down to find the report under Publications.)

The National Mental Health Association has released a free guide describing evidence-based, state-of-the-art practices that are highly effective in reducing recidivism rates.

The chances that a mentally ill child will wind up in the juvenile or criminal justice system rather than in treatment are disturbingly high. But Laurel Stine, director of federal relations with the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, says the legal landscape is changing for the better.

A National Institutes of Health panel reports that punitive "get tough" approaches that try to scare young offenders away from violent behavior - boot camps, group detention centers, or putting young people in adult jails - may actually worsen the problem.

Many youth -- some as young as age 7 -- are locked up in juvenile detention facilities awaiting mental health services, according to a U.S. House of Representatives' Special Investigations Division survey of juvenile detention facilities.

September 2004 is National Youth Court Month. This year's theme is "Serving Communities, Changing Lives." The National Youth Court Month Action Kit is available online -- active youth court programs will receive a copy of the Action Kit in the mail by mid July.