New! Corporal Punishment: Alive, but not well, in North Carolina's public schools - March 2010

A survey of local school districts recently completed by Action for Children North Carolina found that during the 2008-2009 school year, students in N.C. public schools were hit by school personnel more than 1,400 times. The report notes that decades of research have uncovered no evidence that hitting students is an effective form of discipline. Not only is educational performance not improved, but there are negative effects on social and psychological development, as well as the promotion of pro-violence attitudes in youth. A wide array of practice and advocacy organizations are asking the General Assembly specifically to exempt students with disabilities from corporal punishment. 

Get Children out of Adult System

When children go to prison, no one wins. Research shows that prosecuting children in the adult criminal justice system wastes young lives, fosters crime, does not increase public safety, and costs society more in the long run.

Youth charged with a crime should start in the juvenile justice system, with judges retaining their current authority to send minors to the adult system for any felony. Of the more than 30,000 minors in the the adult system, more than 85% of them have committed minor crimes.

Evidence shows that the juvenile system – with programs tailored to how children think and learn – is more effective at rehabilitating youth. Fewer then go on to commit another crime, which means lower costs to society and more children growing up to become educated, employed citizens.

North Carolina is the only state in the nation that still prosecutes all 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, with no exceptions. Incarcerated children in North Carolina have no right to rehabilitative programming, mentoring, counseling, or even an education.

Tell North Carolina’s leaders that it’s time to join the rest of the country by reading and signing on to the Raise the Age Petition. Tell them to throw out this nearly 100-year-old law and put 16- and 17-year-olds in the juvenile justice system, where they can be treated, rehabilitated, educated, counseled, and prepared for a successful life. Click here to read a recent CNN article on raising the age in Connecticut and North Carolina.

A healthy America starts with healthy children. As Congress reforms our nation’s health care system, we urge them to acknowledge the unique health needs of children by remembering to:

• Do No Harm to Children. Nearly one-third of our nation’s children get their health care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Congress must protect and strengthen health coverage for these vulnerable children, not undermine it or increase costs.
• Protect Employer Coverage. Over one-half of America’s children have employer-sponsored insurance.Congress should reduce out-of-pocket costs for family and dependent coverage instead of disproportionately taxing those benefits.
• Insure All Children. Six million children are eligible but not enrolled in public health coverage. Eliminating red tape and bureaucracy by simplifying enrollment would be the cheapest, quickest, and smartest first step to get the lowest-income children covered.
• Cover Children from Head to Toe. All children need coverage for preventive care, as well as for their developmental, dental, and mental health care needs.

Dwayne Betts: Learn from a formerly incarcerated youth

Young author’s thoughts on his crime and subsequent jail time will make you think hard about trying and incarcerating young people as adults.
 

Dwayne Betts, the poet and author of A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival and Coming of Age has signed a limited number of his powerful memoir for Action for Children North Carolina. We are making these books available to our stakeholders. Get your copy while supplies last!

A Question of Freedom chronicles Betts’ single and surprising night of bad decisions and his subsequent 8-year prison sentence. Betts uses the experiences from the crime and his time behind bars to explore deeper themes of identity, race, and justice.

To purchase your signed book ($23 + S/H) contact:  

Randi Munns, (919) 834-6623 ext 229, randi@ncchild.org