San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 2, 2011
California SB 9, a bill co-sponsored by NCYL that would give offenders sentenced as minors to life without parole a chance to request a parole hearing, was revived after the Assembly failed to pass it last week.
» Read more about SB 9
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21, 2011
California lawmakers have repeatedly missed opportunities to bring some fairness, rationality and humanity to juvenile sentencing. They get another chance this week, and they should take it. The Assembly should pass SB 9, a bill to give offenders sentenced as minors to life without parole a chance to request a parole hearing.
San Jose Mercury News, Aug. 21, 2011
California's practice of locking teenage offenders in prison for life without the possibility of parole would be upended under legislation just a few votes shy of reaching the governor's desk -- a change that would move the state closer to justice in conservative Texas and every other country in the world. NCYL Director John O'Toole is interviewed in this story.
California SB 9, co-sponsored by NCYL, has already won approval of the Senate and has cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee. It will go on to the full Assembly for a vote in September! Read the latest coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Bill would let some inmates appeal lifetime terms
Juvenile sentence bill headed to the Assembly floor
Las Vegas Sun, Aug. 13, 2011
Las Vegas Sun, Aug. 8, 2011
Senior attorney Bill Grimm comments on the resignation of Tom Morton as director of Clark County (Las Vegas) Family Services. NCYL, meanwhile, is appealing to the US Court of Appeals a lower court dismissal of its lawsuit to reform Clark County's foster care system.
» Read more about Henry A. v. Willden
Channel 8 News Now, July 15, 2011
Aleria spent three-and-a-half of her four years in the same foster placement with a family who wants to adopt her. But earlier this week, the child was abruptly removed from the only home she has ever known.
» Read more about Henry A. v. Willden, NCYL's lawsuit to to improve foster care and child welfare in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nev. SB9
Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, July 11, 2011
Staff Attorney Patricia Soung comments on CA SB 9, which would give juveniles sentenced to life without parole the opportunity to have their cases reconsidered >> Read more about SB 9
The Recorder, July 11, 2011
Victoria Boesch has joined the board of directors of the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland. Kathy Sher has also joined as a volunteer helping to coordinate NCYL's legislative work in California.
Sacramento Bee, July 1, 2011
Every year, hundreds of prisoners ask for a pardon from the governor. This year, one case stands out as one of the most worthy in California's history.
Sacramento Bee June 2, 2011
The CA Senate on Wednesday passed a bill designed to give a 'second chance' to youth sentenced to life in prison without parole. The bill allows the life sentences of those who committed their crimes before age 18 to seek review of their sentences after 10-15 years behind bars. NCYL and Human Rights Watch are co-sponsors of the bill.
Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2011
NCYL led a coalition to pass California Senate Bill 39, which mandates child protective services agencies to release information about children who have died of abuse and neglect. Since the bill went into effect in 2008, NCYL, along with The Los Angeles Times, has closely monitored compliance with the law by the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services.
Los Angeles Times, February 21, 2011
Bay Citizen, March 31, 2011
FosterEd Initiative Director Jesse Hahnel comments on recent funding cuts to mental health services for children in California.
» Visit FosterEd's website
Des Moines Register, March 14, 2011
Profile of Kate Walker, who will join NCYL in fall 2011 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow.
» Read more about Kate Walker
Philanthropy News Digest, March 20, 2011
NCYL was awarded $75,000 from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust to support its work implementing its FosterEd Initiative.
Legal Times, March 9, 2011
Peter Edelman, president of NCYL's Board of Directors, has won the Justice Potter Steward Award for the significant contributions he has made to the law.
Washington Post, Feb. 28, 2011
Senior Attorney Bill Grimm discusses US Supreme Court decisions that affect juveniles as the Court prepares to hear two cases involving police questioning of children.
Deseret News, Jan. 31, 2011
Senior Attorney Leecia Welch is interviewed about developments in Utah since the 2007 settlement of NCYL’s foster care reform lawsuit, David C. v. Huntsman.
Dallas Morning News, Jan. 13, 2011
Senior Attorney Pat Arthur comments on recommendations to reform the juvenile justice system in Texas.
» Read more about NCYL's work in Texas
Los Angeles Times, Jan. 4, 2011
Sara Kruzan, a teen when she was sentenced to life without parole, was granted clemency by outgoing California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
» Read more about Sara Kruzan
Channel 13 Action News, Las Vegas, Nov. 18, 2010
NCYL is suing to improve the child welfare system in Clark County (Las Vegas), Nev., where foster children are often given psychotropic medication without adequate oversight.
» Read more about Henry A. v. Willden
Arkansas Times, Aug. 19, 2010
NCYL is working to reform the juvenile justice system in Arkansas. Senior Attorney Pat Arthur and state officials announce significant progress in the reform effort.
» Read more about NCYL's work in Arkansas
Sept. 28, 2011 - Advocates are celebrating an agreement that will provide intensive home- and community-based mental health services for California children in foster care or at risk of removal from their families. The agreement in the class-action suit Katie A. v. Bonta comes nine years after the case was first filed.
Sept. 6, 2011 - NCYL’s Foster Youth Education Initiative (FosterEd) launched a program today to improve the educational outcomes of the approximately 1,700 foster children in Marion County, Ind., which includes Indianapolis. The Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS), the Indiana Youth Institute, and Child Advocates announced the launch of FosterEd: Marion County at a kick-off event in Indianapolis.
WA Among Minority of States that Don't Provide Attorneys in Parental Rights Cases
The Washington Supreme Court will determine whether foster children’s constitutional rights are violated when the State terminates parental rights without ensuring that the children are provided legal counsel.
Jan. 3, 2010 - Sara Kruzan, who was sentenced to life without parole when she was just 16 for killing her 37-year-old pimp, was granted clemency by outgoing California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Governor reduced Sara's sentence to 25 years to life, allowing the possibility of parole. Sara, now 33, has spent over 16 years in prison.
Dec. 29, 2010 - The California Child Welfare Council (CWC) has unanimously approved a framework for ensuring access to mental health services for “out-of-county” foster youth. The plan’s intent is to essentially shift responsibility for authorizing and providing mental health services from the child’s county of jurisdiction to his or her new county of residence.
Dec. 21, 2010 - A California Superior Court judge has ruled that relative caregivers are entitled to cash assistance when the children they care for get in trouble with the law and are returned home on probation.
The Nov. 22 ruling is a significant victory for the thousands of children in California who receive benefits under the Kinship Guardian Assistance Payment program (Kin-GAP). The program provides cash support to former foster children who are living with relatives as their legal guardians.
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