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 ›In 2011, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller v. Alabama led California lawmakers to pass legislation that would give prisoners convicted as youths a second chance. One such individual is William Palmer, who at the age of 17 held an off-duty police officer at gunpoint demanding money. The Marshall Project recently examined Palmer’s…
Continue reading ›Last year, we took time to cover a controversial piece of legislation relevant to Californians—Senate Bill 1391. The multifaceted bill is meant to shift the focus away from incarceration and to reduce overcrowding in the criminal justice system. Moreover, SB 1391 addresses the “cradle to prison pipeline:” Opponents of the measure claim that it puts…
Continue reading ›Driving under the influence is a severe offense in the State of California, even when nobody is injured. Those who are convicted of a DUI often pay enormous fines and are required to serve some jail time and lose their license for varying lengths of time. Each case is different, and punishments may look different…
Continue reading ›If you have been keeping up on the news related to the American opioid addiction epidemic plaguing the United States, then you are likely aware of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. The new legislation – recently signed into law by the current administration – aims to address several aspects of the public health…
Continue reading ›Young people are not the best at thinking things through thoroughly before they act, and as a result, they sometimes learn valuable lessons. Even when minors understand the difference between “right” and “wrong,” they can still make unfortunate errors in judgment that can cost them significantly. While some offenses committed by minors are severe and…
Continue reading ›It’s no secret that kids are susceptible to influence and pressure from their peers. When such pressure comes by way of adults, or police officers for that matter, it can lead young people to do or say things that are incriminating. Children have rights and it’s important that their rights are protected, and it is…
Continue reading ›In June, we wrote about California Senate Bill 190 which was written to help the families of minors charged with crimes. The costs to families associated with juvenile offenses can be immense and mind boggling, as we mentioned before. SB 190 was crafted to ease some of the burden, banning the collection of fees in…
Continue reading ›Kids who get in trouble with the law, more times than not, lack parental supervision. Without direction, adolescents often fall in with the wrong crowd. From there, anything is possible, from drug use to committing petty crimes. Such teenagers, at one point or another, get arrested by local authorities, and may have to serve time,…
Continue reading ›American reliance on smartphones for day-to-day tasks increases steadily every year, as the devices become ever increasingly more advanced. There was a time when people could easily point out what a cellphone can’t do, but with each passing year that becomes more and more difficult. While there are thousands of apps available across many platforms,…
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