January 27, 2012 To: Members of the Judiciary Committee From: Sarah Forrest, Policy Coordinator – Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Re: Support for LB 985 – Nebraska Juvenile Service Delivery Project...
LB 774
Quick links: LB 774 on Legislature’s website LB 774 as introduced Voices for Children’s written support Summary: LB 774, introduced by Senator Howard, is one of the bills this session based on recommendations of the LR 37 Report released in December. LB 774 requires the Health and Human Services Committee…...
A closer look at Nebraska’s YRTCs
Every year, Nebraska’s courts send a number of serious and not-so-serious juvenile offenders to the Youth Residential Treatment Centers (YRTCs) in Kearney and Geneva. Like all placements and services ordered under Nebraska’s juvenile code, the goal in placing youth at these institutions should be their rehabilitation. Both YRTCs’…...
Juvenile Justice History 101
Adults aren’t the only ones who break the law. Every year, many children and youth come into conflict with the law for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from status offenses that apply only because of age (truancy, possession of alcohol) to criminal offenses (shoplifting, possession of drugs, assault).…...
The Other Side of the Tracks: Nebraska Kids in Out-of-Home Care
Take a moment and step into the shoes of a child placed in out-of-home care. Imagine being taken away from your parents, friends, and home and placed into an unfamiliar situation, most likely surrounded by strangers. Every year since 1988, Nebraska has had over 8,000 children in out-of-home care at…...
Racial Disparities in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice
You probably already know this, but we here at Voices for Children in Nebraska are passionate about justice and fairness for all of Nebraska’s kids. This passion drives us to examine troubling trends in the hopes that solutions can be found for even the most complicated and longstanding of challenges…...
Unnecessary Costs: Juvenile Incarceration in Nebraska
In light of the release of the No Place for Kids Report earlier today, we’re looking at some of the Nebraska-specific numbers. During the 2009-2010 state fiscal year (SFY), Nebraska spent over $17 million dollars on its two centers for juvenile incarceration – the youth residential treatment centers (YRTC) in…...
