Topics Related to Juvenile Justice

Dr. Michael Williams to be Honored by National Alliance of Black School Educators

The National Alliance of Black School Educators has selected Juvenile Justice Student Transition Counselor Dr. Michael Tyrone Williams as the 2021 W.E.B. DuBois Higher Education Award recipient. Dr. Williams will receive the award at the NABSE annual conference Nov. 13 in Los Angeles. 

"I am both honored and humbled to have been selected to receive this award,” said Dr. Williams. “It has been one of several factors which remind me that the only limits we have are the limits we place on ourselves."

Juvenile Education Goals No Different Inside a Facility Than Out

The school year is well underway with challenges brought forth by the pandemic and in-person vs. remote learning. 

Youth who enter the state juvenile justice system also are participating in classes that look similarly to any classroom outside of a Juvenile Justice facility. Coursework is challenging and follows the North Carolina standards, no matter the learning level of the juvenile. Highly qualified staff evaluate every youth for their level of knowledge and are available to provide personalized instruction. 

From Dillon to Doctorate, O’Key Strives to Make a Difference

Michael O’Key is one of millions who walked onto a college campus this fall. However, his journey to get there was far from typical.

O’Key did not allow one mistake as a youth to define him, nor hold him back from following a path toward his personal and professional goals. And thanks to support received from North Carolina Juvenile Justice staff, the 23-year-old focuses on what is ahead of him instead of being consumed by the memories of the 3½ years he spent at Dillon Youth Development Center in Butner for an aggravated assault charge at 11 years old. 

Facility Fun Day for Staff and Juveniles

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not provided many outlets for fun for juveniles and staffers within Juvenile Justice’s secure custody facilities. Though youth development centers and juvenile detention centers offer as many creative and educational activities as possible, in the facilities there are limited opportunities for the youth (and staff) to “blow off steam.”

Lenoir YDC’s Dr. Eric Barnes Named JJ Teacher of the Year

Dr. Eric Barnes was surprised and honored when he was notified of his selection as the Juvenile Justice section’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. After all, he felt plenty of teachers were worthy of the honor not only at Lenoir Youth Development Center, but at every statewide facility that worked during a pandemic.

Reading, Access to Books a Passion for Edgecombe YDC’s Temple Evans

Margaret McNamara, wife of then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, helped launch Reading is Fundamental (RIF) in 1966 after discovering children at a Washington, D.C. school did not have books of their own to read. She wanted reading to be a fun part of everyday life.

Partnership with UNC Pediatrics a Win-Win for Juvenile Justice

When C.A. Dillon Youth Development Center in Butner was closed in 2016 as part of the 2014 Juvenile Justice Strategic Plan, youths housed at Dillon were relocated into the newly reopened Edgecombe Youth Development Center.

The Role of the Reentry to Resilience Program

Research has identified seven critical domains where children returning to their communities following involvement in the juvenile justice system face challenges and opportunities when it comes to the likelihood of continued or future involvement in the criminal justice system. A North Carolina program funded in part through a federal second chance grant is helping Juvenile Justice address barriers found in with one especially challenging domain – successful school placement of these young people upon return to their communities.

Proper Preparation Critical to Juvenile’s Reentry Success

The North Carolina Juvenile Justice Section is continually increasing and improving opportunities available for juveniles to return to their communities following commitment in youth development centers. The importance of proper reentry was heightened over the past 17 months when the age of youth potentially housed in juvenile hustice facilities was raised to 18. This change meant older teenagers and young adults involved in non-violent offenses could receive more focused and age-appropriate rehabilitation and reentry services.

Three Reasons Reentry Programming for Juveniles Matters

The North Carolina Juvenile Justice section is committed to the reduction and prevention of juvenile delinquency through intervening, educating and treating youth to strengthen families and increase public safety.