WHO IS BILL FARKAS?

A singer, songwriter, political activist of many important causes, and forums on his website, for those interested to post your thoughts/ideas/opinions and support. Please review his pages at http://www.billfarkas.com

He has been so kind as to set up a "juvenile justice activist" forum as well, please review and share with those in your world.

A must see and read website

2008 MUST BE FOR A POSITIVE CHANGE FOR OUR NATION'S CHILDREN!!

We advocates have talked, posted, offering assistance, in any way we can in reference to public awareness, to get people informed about the many juvenile injustices prevailing upon this nation's children.......the continued apathy and passiveness among this society contributes to the doom of many children.The information is out there, constant warnings of info available to everyone.

I truly hope in 2008, many more will WAKE UP, get involved with us, in campaigning to get those barbaric laws changed "governing" children.

I sincerely hope YOU nor YOUR child will never have to experience the heartaches, and devastation of souls, from the "mistakes" made as a "child" .

TEEN SCREENING/TEENS & ANTI-DEPRESSANTS

FOX National News has posted the Douglas Kennedy piece on school shooters and psychiatric drugs causing violence on their website.
See part two (that wasn't aired!) with Douglas and Sean Hannity discussing the rampant drugging of America's youth. It is VITAL that enough people watch this video to take it to the number 1 spot as the most viewed clip.
Go here:
http://www.foxnews.com/hannitysamerica/#

Scroll down until you see "TEENS & ANTI-DEPRESSANTS".
1. Click on the link that says Dangerous Side Effects which was the segment that already aired.
2. Click on the link that says watch Doug and Sean's discussion about the report (to see what didn't make the broadcast -- Douglas Kennedy giving the straight facts on how these drugs create kid killers ) .
Please take a minute to watch these and pass this on to everyone else you know to do the same.
TO KEEP FOX AIRING THESE SHOWS EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS TO:
hannitysamerica©foxnews.com
110 signatures against TeenScreen needed to make 24,000
http://www.petitiononline.com/TScreen/petition.html
Video can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfU9puZQKBY

For more information please reference
http://www.billfarkas.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?1515

AG: Keep some teens out of adult jail

http://www.examiner.com/a-1130691~Attorney_general_seeks_to_prevent_some_teens_from_going_to_adult_jail.html

Scott McCabe and Bill Myers,
The Examiner2007-12-31 08:00:00.0
Current rank: # 16 of 11,606
WASHINGTON -

Outgoing District of Columbia Attorney General Linda Singer is creating a controversy on her way out the door by lobbying to prevent prosecutors from automatically sending teenagers to adult jail for violent crimes, The Examiner has learned.
Since she announced her resignation two weeks ago, Singer has said in private meetings that she has committed staff to pushing for a change in federal law that allows prosecutors to charge 16- and 17-year-olds as adults when they’re accused of serious crimes like homicide.
Children 15 and younger can be tried as adults, but prosecutors must obtain a judge’s order to do so. Most juvenile offenders can’t be held in custody past their 21st birthday, while those tried as adults can be sentenced to life in prison.
D.C.’s juvenile crime bedevils city leaders. On one side are those who say, like Singer, that the city ought to focus on rehabilitating young offenders.
“We’re prosecuting too many juveniles as adults. It doesn’t make sense,” said D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson, D-at large, chairman of the council’s Judiciary Committee. “Everything we know about juvenile behavior shows that juveniles aren’t treated best by the adult prison population.”
On the other side are those who say that some child crimes are so severe that the juvenile system can’t deal with the offender appropriately.
“We believe the current statute strikes the right balance,” U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor told The Examiner. “We make no apologies for aggressively prosecuting those cases.”
Singer could not be reached for comment, and her spokeswoman denied that she was working to change the law. But top law enforcement sources told The Examiner that Singer met with Taylor, D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and D.C. court official Paul Quander Jr. in recent days to tell them that she wanted to, as one source said, “get this done.”
D.C. General Counsel Peter Nickles, who will become acting attorney general next, said he was “reserving judgment” on the matter. But Nickles is an outspoken critic of what he calls “the lock ’em up” approach to juvenile justice.
Liz Ryan, executive director of the Campaign for Youth Justice, said the current policy makes matters worse. She cited a report released last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found that youth who were transferred to the adult criminal justice system were 34 percent more likely to commit crimes than youth retained in the juvenile justice system.
But Kristopher Baumann, head of the police union, said D.C. laws are already making young criminals view current juvenile law with contempt.
“It’s not just about the criminal, it’s about the negative influence these people have on their neighborhoods,” Baumann said. “For kids to have a chance in those neighborhoods, we need to clean up the streets and put the criminals away for a long time.”
Youth crime stats
» Children were the killers in 22 percent of homicides between 2002 and 2005
» Up to 70 percent of arrested juveniles have prior records
» The number of children in D.C. Jail has nearly quadrupled, from 12 to 42, since last year
smccabe@dcexaminer.com
bmyers@dcexaminer.com

WHO IS PETER LOVE?

I met this gentleman several years ago, as a friend & I set up a public awareness event in South Bend, In. in reference to the prevention of CHILD ABUSE.

Mr. Love is a singer, songwriter, and founder of The Save our Children Foundation. He has been and honorably so, been named as the "smooth entertainer", with his smooth style and heart in his music. Please review his website, and help us to spread some cheer and great wealth of information on helping to save our nation's children. He's my brother advocate and great friend.
http://www.peterlove.biz

ARGUMENTS CONTINUE IN CASES OF TEENS CHARGED AS ADULTS

THE "CORE" OF THE ISSUE is to "help" the child. For months now, time has been wasted and these children's lives hang in the so called "balance" until officials can quit their "bickering" and get on with the major problem at hand, and come up with a solution/alternatives, in providing "help" for juveniles, as they are, NOT adults!!! IMO
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http://www.eyewitnessnewstv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7547981&nav=menu20_2

Arguments Continue in Cases of Teens Charged as Adults
Updated: Dec 28, 2007 03:17 AM CST
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) --

A judge is deciding whether a 17-year-old charged with murder in the boating death of his friend should be tried as a juvenile in Family Court. Prosecutors are trying the boy, Ryan Greenberg, as an adult. But Greenberg's lawyer argued that the charges should be dismissed because his client was indicted after a law requiring 17-year-olds to be treated as adults was repealed by the General Assembly. Attorney Bill Dimitri wants the case transferred to Family Court. Greenberg was allegedly behind the wheel of a boat when his friend was killed while kneeboarding this July in the Barrington River. One month earlier, Rhode Island lawmakers decided that 17-year-olds should be sent to adult courts and prisons to save money. The provision was repealed four months later when lawmakers realized the change was unlikely to cut costs. Now a Superior Court judge must decide how to treat teens like Greenberg who were charged with crimes before the law was repealed. _________________

Teens-Same Charges, Different Results

I must say this is "discrimination", a "child" is still a "child, whether 14 or 15

http://post-journal.com/articles.asp?articleID=23282

(excerpt) Please read full article at above URL

Local Discretion Given In Adult, Juvenile CasesBy Luke Anderson
12/30/2007 -
landerson@post-journal.com
Two county teen-agers are facing the same charge — second-degree murder — in the December death of Dusty Elderkin of Stockton. While the 14-year-old will face his charges as a juvenile in Family Court, the 15-year-old will face his charges as an adult in Chautauqua County Court.

2008 & BEYOND~WHAT CAN "CHILDREN" LOOK FORWARD TO???

2008 & Beyond..........

Children are vulnerable, still growing and learning, so far from being a full grown adult, yet, prosecutors continue to be hell bent to try "children", certify them as an adult, they clearly are NOT. What does these coming years, hold for our nation's children? There are so many issues concerning the growth of a child, from birth to adult man and womanhood, people need to get involved with their own children's lives, get educated about the legal rights, and how to protect YOUR children, from the clutches/grips of such a corrupt beaurocracy of unfair, unjust, barbaric treatment of juveniles in a court of law. The constitution and constitutional amendment rights pertain to our nation's children, as the human beings they are.Abuse, neglect, sexual molestation, beatings and yes, even death comes many of these children in or out of those prison walls. With the abundance of agencies for juvenile justice all across America, why is it, children continue to be "destroyed" instead of helped and keep them safe from HARM???? APATHY and PASSIVENESS seems to be a way of life, for most of society, children issues are totally ignored by society, until something happens to "their kids", then comes the devastation of shattered hearts, broken homes, and the losses of many souls.Am asking everyone that reads these comments, to think, get involved, take actions with us, to help get those barbaric laws CHANGED for our nation's children.In 2008 and beyond, be a part of the solution, to help our nation's children have something to hope for, to look forward to, to let them know, we do give a damn about them, and we continue with our mission to fight for justice . Children depend on parents and other adults to help protect them, teach and guide them, We must help STOP THIS VICIOUS CIRCLE OF DESTRUCTION!!!

Children in Adult Jails/Juvenile Justice

An excellent source of information for those interested in juvenile justice, the changes that are so desperately needed. Zero tolerance is a contributing factor in many children being arrested and creating a "juvenile" "record. Alternative solutions must be created, to help protect children and realize they are still growing and are far from being an "adult". Please read the full article and "fact" sheet included in link below. We must continue to be a "voice" for our nation's children.

http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/issues/adultjails/

Research demonstrates that children in adult jails and lockups are five times as likely to be sexually assaulted, twice as likely to be beaten by staff, 50 percent more likely to be attacked with a weapon and eight times as likely to commit suicide as children confined in juvenile facilities. In addition, the research shows that transferring children from juvenile court to adult court does not decrease recidivism, and in fact actually increases crime.
The "Fact Sheet" provides case examples of youth in adult facilities, and an overview of the current research showing that prosecuting children in adult court does not decrease recidivism. The "Key Studies" highlights major studies that document the impact of placing children in adult facilities. The "Resources" list provides contact information for national organizations actively involved in advocacy efforts to address youth's needs.

Justice Denied~Christopher Pittman(12)

A child of only 12 yrs of age, intoxicated on Paxil and Zoloft, murdered his grandparents & set the house on fire, convicted & sentenced to 30 yrs prison time with no chance of parole. S. C Supreme court denied a "new trial". Case pending, sent to the U. S. Supreme Court.

Case details~~ whoopassforjustice.org & kidsincourt.net

http://www.myspace.com/juvenilejustice1

http://www.christopherpittman.org/

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http://capwiz.com/gopusa/dbq/media

Everyone is strongly encouraged to fire out letters to the media and officials all across the U. S. referencing the atrocities these children are made to endure. The above link is a great tool to use in sending out support letters. With all the elections coming up etc, it is very wise to get letters out from anyone and everyone who care about juvenile justice reform......Please join us in this most important project. Help us flood the media and the officials, let them "know" we are out here for "justice for these children"!

A CHILLING ECHO...........

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12282007/news/regionalnews/a_chilling_echo_150850.htm

By JEANE MacINTOSH

WELCOME BACK: Martin Tankleff gets a big welcome-back kiss from his aunt Marianne McClure yesterday in Riverhead, LI. December 28, 2007 -- Among the spectators watching as Martin Tankleff walked free yesterday was Jeffrey Deskovic, who knows exactly how he felt.
Deskovic was sprung from prison 14 months ago after serving 16 years for a murder and rape he didn't commit.
Watching the scene in the Riverhead, LI, courtroom "made my hair stand up," he told The Post. "I had participated in this scene before."
"I was 17 when I was convicted, 33 when I was cleared by DNA evidence. Marty was 18, and now in his 30s; our cases in many ways are similar."
Deskovic was found guilty in 1989 of killing and raping his Peekskill HS classmate Angela Correa, whose body was found in a local park. He confessed, but later recanted, saying he'd been coerced by investigators.
The real killer was later arrested.
Deskovic said that Tankleff faces many challenges as he waits to see if he'll be re-tried.
"I know from personal experience the difficulties, obstacles, and challenges of trying to reintegrate back into society after being incarcerated for half of one's life, particularly going in as a teenager and coming out an adult," Deskovic said.
"Many times things feel surreal. I am unsure of whether this is all really happening - that I really went through what I did - or whether I'm dreaming and will wake up and still be in prison.
"Sometimes I feel like the teenager I was; at other times I feel like an adult."
A newly freed prisoner, he said, faces a lonely life on the outside.
"Finding people to socialize, share, and spend time with can be difficult," he said.
"The thought still comes to people's minds, when considering interacting with me: 'You were innocent, but you still served all that time in prison. How much of that rubbed off on you?"
Deskovic plans a wrongful-imprisonment suit, but it may be a long time before he sees any money.
Meanwhile, he said, he struggles to "meet the costs of housing, basic living, mental-health services, and education. Affording health insurance is out of the question."
Deskovic runs a Web site intended to raise awareness about wrongful convictions called jeffreydeskovicspeaks.org.
He recently graduated from Mercy College, which he attended on a scholarship. He said he'd be happy to speak to Tankleff and give him some advice about re-entering society. "I extended that to Marty, as part of his welcome home - one exoneree to one who will soon, I believe, be exonerated."

A CHILD/JUSTICE DENIED/FINALLY FREE ON BOND/MARTY TANKLEFF

A child of only 17, wakes up one morning to prepare for school in his senior year, to find his parents murdered, was falsely accused, convicted, now after 17 yrs, Marty finally is FREE on bond, but to return to court, 1/18/08, before the State Supreme Court Justice Robert W. Doyle.

VIDEO OF RELEASE........... Freedom 'A Dream Come True'

http://wcbstv.com/local/martin.tankleff.murder.2.618586.html

Case details....
http://www.martytankleff.org

Rights of a Child

Convention on the Rights of the Child

http://www.crin.org/resources/treaties/CRC.asp?catName=International+Treaties&flag=legal&ID=6

Since its adoption in 1989 after more than 60 years of advocacy, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified more quickly and by more governments (all except Somalia and the US) than any other human rights instrument. This Convention is also the only international human rights treaty that expressly gives non-governmental organisations (NGOs) a role in monitoring its implementation (under Article 45a). (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, A/RES/44/25, dated 20 November 1989) [html http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/k2crc.htm at OHCHR or html http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/treaties/uncrc.htm at CRIN] http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc/treaties/crc.htm http://www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm

The basic premise of the Convention is that children (all human beings below the age of 18 ) are born with fundamental freedoms and the inherent rights of all human beings. Many governments have enacted legislation, created mechanisms and put into place a range of creative measures to ensure the protection and realisation of the rights of those under the age of 18.

Each government must also report back on children's rights in their country. The Committee on the Rights of the Child is the monitoring body to the CRC that holds regular meetings and oversees the progress made by States Parties in fulfilling their obligations. It can make suggestions and recommendations to governments and the General Assembly on ways to meet the Convention's objectives.

EXCERPTS BELOW:

Article 37 States Parties shall ensure that:
(a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age;
(b) No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time;
(c) Every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age. In particular, every child deprived of liberty shall be separated from adults unless it is considered in the child's best interest not to do so and shall have the right to maintain contact with his or her family through correspondence and visits, save in exceptional circumstances;
(d) Every child deprived of his or her liberty shall have the right to prompt access to legal and other appropriate assistance, as well as the right to challenge the legality of the deprivation of his or her liberty before a court or other competent, independent and impartial authority, and to a prompt decision on any such action.

Article 40
1. States Parties recognize the right of every child alleged as, accused of, or recognized as having infringed the penal law to be treated in a manner consistent with the promotion of the child's sense of dignity and worth, which reinforces the child's respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of others and which takes into account the child's age and the desirability of promoting the child's reintegration and the child's assuming a constructive role in society.
2. To this end, and having regard to the relevant provisions of international instruments, States Parties shall, in particular, ensure that:
(a) No child shall be alleged as, be accused of, or recognized as having infringed the penal law by reason of acts or omissions that were not prohibited by national or international law at the time they were committed; (b) Every child alleged as or accused of having infringed the penal law has at least the following guarantees:
(i) To be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law;
(ii) To be informed promptly and directly of the charges against him or her, and, if appropriate, through his or her parents or legal guardians, and to have legal or other appropriate assistance in the preparation and presentation of his or her defence;
(iii) To have the matter determined without delay by a competent, independent and impartial authority or judicial body in a fair hearing according to law, in the presence of legal or other appropriate assistance and, unless it is considered not to be in the best interest of the child, in particular, taking into account his or her age or situation, his or her parents or legal guardians;
(iv) Not to be compelled to give testimony or to confess guilt; to examine or have examined adverse witnesses and to obtain the participation and examination of witnesses on his or her behalf under conditions of equality;
(v) If considered to have infringed the penal law, to have this decision and any measures imposed in consequence thereof reviewed by a higher competent, independent and impartial authority or judicial body according to law; (vi) To have the free assistance of an interpreter if the child cannot understand or speak the language used;
(vii) To have his or her privacy fully respected at all stages of the proceedings.
3. States Parties shall seek to promote the establishment of laws, procedures, authorities and institutions specifically applicable to children alleged as, accused of, or recognized as having infringed the penal law, and, in particular:
(a) The establishment of a minimum age below which children shall be presumed not to have the capacity to infringe the penal law;
(b) Whenever appropriate and desirable, measures for dealing with such children without resorting to judicial proceedings, providing that human rights and legal safeguards are fully respected.
4. A variety of dispositions, such as care, guidance and supervision orders; counselling; probation; foster care; education and vocational training programmes and other alternatives to institutional care shall be available to ensure that children are dealt with in a manner appropriate to their well-being and proportionate both to their circumstances and the offence.
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http://www.unicef.org/crc/faq.htm#009
Q: Who has not ratified and why not?
A: The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely and rapidly ratified human rights treaty in history. Only two countries, Somalia and the United States, have not ratified this celebrated agreement. Somalia is currently unable to proceed to ratification as it has no recognized government. By signing the Convention, the United States has signalled its intention to ratify – but has yet to do so.

Quest for Justice

Tho I have been an advocate most of my adult life, It has become my life's quest to speak out more about the atrocities against our nation's children. Far too many suffer so needlessly, mistakes made as a "child". Many with a background of dysfunctional families, drugs, alcohol, abuses, assaults, rapes, molestations and even murdered. Children under the age of 18 get caught up in trouble with the law, not comprehending the consequences of their actions, NOT knowing their basic law rights, MIRANDA RIGHTS, to remain silent without the presence of an attorney. Juvenile laws in this nation are so desperately needed to be revised, to help protect children, and treat them as a "child" they are. Many have recieved sentencing "AS AN ADULT", of LIFE and LIFE W/NO CHANCE OF PAROLE. This is surely a "slow death", it is still the "death penalty" for them. Am striving to make a difference for them, to let them know they are NOT forgotten, that someone "out here" does care about the human being, they ARE.

Many children are falsely imprisoned due to a "coerced" "false confession". Children "deserve" a "chance" to turn their lives around, an "offer" to become a "productive" member of society. Juvenile Justice "Reform" is "imperative"!
You're invited to please reference the "educational resource" references listed.

Those who visit here, I hope you will have an open mind, and hope such a travesity of injustice NEVER happens to YOUR child.