By Erin Liotta
Child welfare reform advocates across the country breathed a sigh of relief when the US Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling that would have severely limited foster children's ability to sue in federal court. On June 18, 2010, the Court of Appeals in the First Circuit revived a case dismissed in its entirety by the US District Court in Rhode Island.
Child Welfare Council Urged to Take Action Before November Election
By Kate Walker
Every year, California places an average of 18,000 foster children -- more than 20 percent of the state's foster population -- outside the county in which they first entered foster care.
The California Dependency Online Guide provides assistance to attorneys, judicial officers, and other professionals working in California's child welfare system.
The Fair Sentencing for Youth Act, which allows juveniles serving life sentences to have an opportunity for parole after 10 years, passed out of the California Assembly Appropriations Committee. NCYL and Human Rights Watch are co-sponsors of the legislation, commonly known as Senate Bill 399.
Advocates and other stakeholders have been working together to reduce Wyoming's over-reliance on incarceration for juvenile offenders. As part of this effort, NCYL and the Wyoming chapter of the ACLU have issued a new report focusing on the widespread use of adult courts to prosecute children for minor offenses.
