A bill was introduced at the California state Capitol in January 2020 in hopes of changing the way young people were treated in the state’s justice system. Senate Bill 889 was introduced in an effort to have all people under 21 to be tried as minors. There were a number of arguments for and against…
Continue reading ›This year has been exceedingly challenging for students in California owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures and financial hardships have created a climate of despair for millions of young people. Mental health services are needed now more than ever in order to prevent school suspensions and expulsions. Mental illness often plays a role in…
Continue reading ›Last month, we continued our coverage of salient topics relating to criminal and juvenile justice in California. We covered the newly created Department of Youth and Community Restoration (YCR). Under the California Health and Human Services Agency, the YCR will replace the Division of Juvenile Justice. The YCR: “Shall embrace a vision wherein the youth…
Continue reading ›With the adjournment of the annual state legislative session, we thought we’d share with you some of the bills that made it to the governor’s desk. We would also like to focus on a significant change to juvenile justice in California. Even though state lawmakers had to contend with conflicts relating to COVID-19, some interesting…
Continue reading ›At the Law Offices of Katie Walsh, we’d like to share our deepest condolences to the families of the 74,188 Americans who have succumbed to COVID-19. We will continue to keep all the infected in the United States – some 1,232,470 – in our thoughts and prayers. While some headway has been made in containing…
Continue reading ›In the age of the Internet, the topic of electronic privacy comes up regularly in legal discussions. Smartphones are ubiquitous in today’s world; most adolescents and adults have one at all times. In recent years, legal experts have been debating the electronic privacy for criminal offenders. The question is whether or not the attorneys general…
Continue reading ›Neuroscientists say that the brain doesn’t fully mature until age 25, which makes you wonder why teenagers are considered adults at the age of 18. What’s more, in some cases, teens under 18 years of age are prosecuted as adults in the criminal justice system. Researchers have long understood that adolescents are impulsive and reckless;…
Continue reading ›On numerous occasions, we have covered Senate Bill 190: Ending Juvenile Administrative Fees (SB-190), a piece of legislation that abolished entire categories of monetary sanctions in the juvenile legal system and a subset of fees for young people in the adult legal system. Signed into law by former Governor Jerry Brown in 2017, the landmark…
Continue reading ›Senate Bill 1391 is in the news once again, which probably won’t come as a surprise to our readers. The law raised the age that juvenile offenders can be tried as adults from 14 to 16. We’ve been covering this legislation since last year, when former Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 1391 into law. The…
Continue reading ›Abuse or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can significantly alter the course of a child’s life and lead to severe problems. Trauma of any kind can leave an indelible mark on a person’s psyche. With treatment and support for social services, children may adopt unhealthy behaviors due to a shortage of coping mechanisms. Many adults who…
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