Child Welfare
Melissa del Bosque of the Texas Observer examines the process of repatriating Mexican children who are deported without their families. Mexico’s social services agency attempts to find family in the country, but many end up in crowded shelters.
Due in large part to tighter restrictions and a wealthier China, the number of U.S. foreign adoptions is on the way down, reports Bloomberg News.
Education
Goodwill Education Initiatives opened up a charter school in Indianapolis this fall – not to prevent dropouts, but to serve them. Initial enrollment was 200, but demand led them to open up an additional 100 spots and now the waiting list is at 800. Goodwills in Indiana, and around the country, have been quietly expanding their role in youth services over the past few years.
The World Socialist Web Site’s Nancy Hanover has released an “investigative report” on the student loan industry. Putting the site’s socialist agenda aside, you can read between the lines and get some good figures and a good summary of the situation.
Juvenile Justice
Ted Gest runs down some justice implications stemming from the changing of the guard on the House side for The Crime Report. Gest speculates that funding under the Second Chance Act (which includes significant money for juvenile reentry and mentoring) and Community Oriented Policing Services will get serious scrutiny from the Republican-led House.
The plan for reform at Los Angeles County’s largest juvenile facility is in place, reports Christina Hoag of the Associated Press. The county will have to turn around the way its 650-student school at the facility does business, per a settlement agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union, or it will likely end up back in court.
