“Black boy joy”, a term coined by author Danielle Young, is a phrase used to celebrate the black boyhood that is often ignored when children are forced to grow up and become men too soon. The phrase supports black youth that express joy in the midst of a hostile racial climate, particularly within the United […] The post The Erasure of “Black Boy Joy” The Visibility of Black Death Increases Childhood Trauma first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post The Erasure of “Black Boy Joy” The Visibility of Black Death Increases Childhood Trauma appeared first on Children and the Law Blog ..read more

According to the American Academy of Pediactrics, mental and behavioral health is the “largest unmet health need for children and teens in foster care.”[1] Many foster children experience mental and behavioral health issues as a result of trauma—prior to and throughout their time in the foster care system. Trauma may stem from “abuse and neglect, […] The post Overdiagnosing and Overmedicating Foster Children first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post Overdiagnosing and Overmedicating Foster Children appeared first on Children and the Law Blog ..read more

For over half a century, the Supreme Court has considered children involved in the legal system as a special class, not simply “miniature adults.”[1] During the last two decades, the Supreme Court has used its Eighth Amendment jurisprudence to rule in ways that differentiate children from adults, and therefore, set different criminal punishments depending on […] The post The Supreme Court’s Jurisprudence: Children as a Special Class first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post The Supreme Court’s Jurisprudence: Children as a Special Class appeared first on Children and the Law Blog ..read more

Black children in major cities are overwhelmingly most of the children in foster care. Specifically, keying in on San Francisco foster care demographics shows how major cities place Black children into foster care at an extremely high rate. According to the data collected from Kids Data in 2018, for every 1,000 Black child 46.4 will […] The post Through the lens of the US Child Welfare System: Disproportionate treatment of Black children Part 2 first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post Through the lens of the US Child Welfare System: Disproportionate treatment of Black children Par ..read more

Researchers in the area of wrongful convictions have found that children are particularly susceptible to giving false confessions.[1] Once in custody, children’s psychological development, intellectual difficulties, and mental health issues make them vulnerable to coercive police interrogation tactics, which often leads children to falsely confess to crimes they did not commit.[2] During interrogations, police often […] The post False Confessions and Children first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post False Confessions and Children appeared first on Children and the Law Blog ..read more

Newborn Screening1 is done through a simple heel prick to get a blood sample followed by a lab analyzing the molecular weights of the newborn’s metabolites. The process is seemingly harmless to newborns, and can reduce disability progression and morbidity of serious diseases. As a resident of Texas, where life expectancy can be predicted from […] The post Texas Newborn Screening Program’s Benefits Vary for Families first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post Texas Newborn Screening Program’s Benefits Vary for Families appeared first on Children and the Law Blog ..read more

In the United States, the Juvenile Justice system is the collection of multiple state and local court-based systems that handle minors who come in contact with law enforcement, are accused of breaking the law, or are convicted of criminal offences. According to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, in the state of Texas, out of […] The post How the Juvenile Justice System is Broken: The Bullies in Blue Need the Boot first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post How the Juvenile Justice System is Broken: The Bullies in Blue Need the Boot appeared first on Children and the Law Blog ..read more

The story of Michael Crowe, a 14-year-old child, exemplifies why children need protections during police interrogations. Michael’s traumatic involvement with the criminal justice system began on the night of January 20, 1998 when someone snuck into Stephanie Crowe’s bedroom and stabbed her to death.[1] Police questioned the entire Crowe family the following day, including Michael, […] The post Children’s Vulnerability During Police Interrogations: The Story of Michael Crowe first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post Children’s Vulnerability During Police Interrogations: The Story of ..read more

The office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and other community groups work to raise awareness and educate the public about the impact of the justice system on children. President Joseph Biden has proclaimed October as National Youth Justice Action Month. “By investing more in all children’s health and well-being, our youth can build […] The post October is Youth Justice Action Month first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post October is Youth Justice Action Month appeared first on Children and the Law Blog ..read more

Appearance discrimination is treating a person unfairly because of how they look. It has been found that the prevalence of discrimination because of physical appearance is significantly higher in girls.[i] Gender discrimination can be the real motive of appearance-based discrimination.[ii] Appearance discrimination needs more awareness because most people do not consider discrimination based on physical […] The post Effects of Appearance Discrimination on Children and How to Remedy It first appeared on Children and the Law Blog. The post <strong>Effects of Appearance Discrimination on Ch ..read more