Voices for Children in Nebraska

  Last week, the Legislature spent several hours debating our state budget and discussing how Nebraska plans to invest in our children over the next two years.   One important decision was the rejection of an amendment to decrease funding for home visiting programs by $500,000.  Visiting high-risk families in their own home by a public [...]

Our future prosperity and success as a state depend upon the investments we make today in our children and youth. For a long time, the future of our youth and our state has been jeopardized by our failure to make smart investments and important reforms to our juvenile justice system. When a young person in [...]

This week, the Legislature has spent many hours discussing our state budget and just how Nebraska will invest in kids and families over the next two years. One important decision was the overwhelming rejection of an amendment that would have decreased funding for home visiting programs. Voices for Children has long supported increasing our investment in [...]

Last week, the first bill dealing with the reform of our juvenile justice system crossed the Legislative finish line with a vote of 38-1. LB 44, which repeals mandatory life without parole for children and youth, now only awaits the Governor’s signature before it becomes law. So what does this mean for Nebraska? First, our [...]

Today, President Barack Obama signed a proclamation making May National Foster Care Month.  Since 1988, May has been designated as the month to recognize the contributions of foster parents and call attention to the needs of children in our nation’s foster care systems. Nationally, 382,400 children under 18 currently are in foster care because their own [...]

Children need our care and protection to grow, thrive, and become productive members of our society. When a young person breaks the law, we must respond in a thoughtful way that gives children their best possible chance at success, while still ensuring the safety of our communities. Unfortunately, Nebraska’s juvenile justice system relies too much [...]

Though millions of dollars have been invested and countless initiatives have been developed to “fix” children and youth in the child welfare system, maybe Desiderius Erasmus said it best and “prevention is better than [a] cure.”  If so, then efforts have been made at the wrong end of the system. Research finds that families are [...]

This past June, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama that the mandatory sentencing of children and youth to life without parole is cruel and unusual punishment, because it ignores the very fact that children are children. Youth are both less culpable for their actions and more capable of change. In a [...]

Currently in Nebraska, judges are required to sentence youth who commit murder to life without parole, and cannot consider any relating factors such as the child’s age or life circumstances.  LB 44, which advanced to Select File today, would allow judges to consider the child’s circumstances when imposing a sentence. There are 27 prisoners in [...]

All children deserve and need society’s protection to grow into healthy, productive adults. Even children who commit serious crimes are still children. We should respond to youth crime in a thoughtful and effective way that preserves community safety, contributes to Nebraska’s future prosperity, and gives children the protection they need. Voices for Children in Nebraska [...]