HARRISBURG, Pa. – A new report says reforming probation practices for juveniles could increase their chances for success. In the past 20 years, juvenile justice system reforms have led to far fewer young people being held in juvenile detention centers. But the report from The Annie E. Case

PHILADELPHIA — The child welfare system needs to do more to meet the developmental needs of adolescents, according to a recent study. A report from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative said scientific findings show brain development continues past the age of 20. It also said young pe

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Schools can't punish students for swearing when they're off campus - that's the message of a federal court to a Pennsylvania high school. The student, who is a minor, is only referred to by her initials, B.L. She was dropped from her school's junior varsity cheerleading s

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania's new truancy law makes some major improvements, but puts poor families at risk of increased penalties that don't solve the problem, according to critics. The new law puts an emphasis on addressing root causes of truancy in the schools and dealing with cases on

PHILADELPHIA – A time out, protective custody and segregation are all terms used to describe solitary confinement – a practice experienced by hundreds of youth in juvenile detention facilities in the U.S. And solitary confinement is coming into the spotlight as the Democratic National

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Monday is expected to bring relief to thousands of people serving life sentences in prison for crimes they committed as children. The high court made retroactive a 2012 ruling that banned mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles, clearin

PITTSBURGH – A report by the investigative news organization PublicSource found that young people held in Pennsylvania’s juvenile correctional system may be given powerful psychiatric drugs at rates far higher than other youth. On average only 1 or 2 percent of young people are prescri

PHILADELPHIA - The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of mentally-ill prisoners held in Pennsylvania jails while awaiting treatment. Criminal courts often order mentally ill criminal defendants who cannot understand the proceedings to undergo treatment to restore their competence. Accord