A judge from Houston posted an article this month about how reforms in foster care will not be as effective if the juvenile justice system is not reformed as well. He mentions the statistics that show how foster care children are more likely to be brought into the foster care system, and how modifying the way that the juvenile justice system works is necessary toward giving those foster children their best chance at becoming adults who have experienced healthy social, emotional, and cognitive developments. The writer lists four proposed changes. The first is that care for those involved in the juvenile justice and CPS systems should be coordinated, and services should not be duplicated so as to best serve the youth. The second is that records for these children should be sealed when they turn eighteen, as it is hard enough for youth in foster care to find housing, jobs, and schooling. The third is that 17 year olds should not be sent to adult jail automatically, but that there should be an option for them to be put in safer and more treatment-focused juvenile detention based on the degree of their offense. The final proposal is that children in the juvenile justice system with mental health needs should have those needs met with effective services in their communities. I think that this judge's note is an important one, and that it is a good idea to tailor services based on the communities that they are being provided to.
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Schneider-Improving-foster-care-should-include-11010594.php
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