Youth, Rights & Justice – Page 3 – Youth Rights Justice

The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School Serves Youth in OYA’s Closed Correctional Facilities Through its Youth Legal Clinic

by Youth, Rights & Justice on April 24, 2020 with No Comments

I. The Youth Legal Clinic The Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) recognized the need for incarcerated youth to have more legal information about their constitutional rights and increased access to the courts. Subsequently, OYA reached out to the Criminal Justice … Read More

Staff Profiles: Celebrating 25 years at YRJ!

by Youth, Rights & Justice on April 16, 2020 with No Comments

This week, Liz Sher celebrates 25 years as a YRJ Staff Attorney. We asked Liz to share about her career, her insights into juvenile court, and how she thinks things have changed for her clients. You’ve been working in … Read More

ICWA Developments in Oregon

by Youth, Rights & Justice on April 3, 2020 with No Comments

By Ginger Fitch | YRJ Staff Attorney The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is a federal law passed in 1978 in response to the alarmingly high number of Indian children being removed from their homes by both public and … Read More

COVID-19: How this Crisis is Impacting our Clients and What We’re Doing (Plus, Resources for Those in Need)

by Youth, Rights & Justice on March 27, 2020 with No Comments

While no one is spared from the impacts of the current health care crisis, the effects the coronavirus hit vulnerable children and families hard. YRJ represents over 800 clients in Oregon’s juvenile justice and child welfare systems. As Oregonians are … Read More

Oregon Court of Appeals: Family Plan Support is Relevant to Juvenile Court Jurisdiction Determination

by Youth, Rights & Justice on March 24, 2020 with No Comments

On March 13, 2020, the Oregon Court of Appeals emphasized that trial courts should consider whether family supports can mitigate the risk of harm to children, even when parents have deficits that would otherwise necessitate child welfare system involvement. … Read More

Case Summaries October – December 2019

by Youth, Rights & Justice on March 5, 2020 with No Comments

Dept. of Human Services v. K. S. W., 299 Or App 668 (Oct. 9, 2019). In this Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) case, the Court of Appeals found that a new active efforts finding was not required when a guardianship was established… Read More

Trump Administration Continues to Pursue Indefinite Detention of Migrant Families

by Youth, Rights & Justice on March 5, 2020 with No Comments

In April 2018, the Trump Administration announced a new “zero-tolerance” policy intended to ramp up criminal prosecution of people caught entering the U.S. illegally. Soon after the announcement of the zero-tolerance policy, reports surfaced that unauthorized immigrant parents traveling with their children were being criminally prosecuted and separated from their children… Read More

The Negative Effect of Fines and Fees in Juvenile Justice

by Youth, Rights & Justice on March 5, 2020 with No Comments

“…Fines and fees in the juvenile justice system harm youth and their families. They also undermine public safety and contribute to racial disparities in the justice system.” In A Debtor’s Prison, the Juvenile Law Center of Philadelphia analyzed the impact of costs, fines, fees, and restitution on youth… Read More

“I’ve Got To Admit It’s Getting Better, A Little Better All The Time”

by Youth, Rights & Justice on March 5, 2020 with No Comments

Oregon is Working to Overcome the Juvenile Justice System’s Historical Failing of LGBTQ Youth. As of April 2017, only five states (California, Louisiana, New York, Rhode Island and Texas) and the District of Columbia explicitly included sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes… Read More

Book Review: The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-term Effects of Childhood Adversity (2018) by Nadine Burke Harris, M.D.

by Youth, Rights & Justice on March 5, 2020 with No Comments

The Deepest Well focuses on the impact that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have on a person’s growth and development, physical health, and long-term well-being. The term ACEs comes from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, first conducted from 1995 to 1997…

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