By Corinne Letsch for the New York Daily News

Bronx families, service providers and former inmates who would be directly affected by an overhaul of the juvenile justice system spoke out Monday night about moving young criminals to facilities closer to where they live.

The community forum, held at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, was led by city Administration for Children’s Services Commissioner Ronald Richter, and featured a panel from the departments of Education and Probation.

“This is a dramatic change in the way that our juvenile justice system works,” said Richter, whose agency is charged with locating new “placements” in the area for youth under 15 who are incarcerated upstate.

By Times Leader Staff for The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

HARRISBURG -- A bill requiring juvenile court judges to go on record with their reasons for placement is on its way to Gov. Tom Corbett for his signature.

“It is important that we put into law protections that prevent any repetition of the ‘kids for cash’ scandal that tainted the juvenile justice system in Luzerne County,” said Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, the bill’s sponsor.

By Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs from The Sacramento Bee

WASHINGTON D.C. -- At the National Summit on Preventing Youth Violence, to be held on April 2-3 in Washington, D.C., mayors, police chiefs, school officials and youth, among other local representatives, will report on their efforts to prevent youth violence in connection with the Obama Administration's National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention.  Officials from Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., Salinas, Calif. and San Jose, Calif. will participate in interactive dialogues on prevention, intervention, enforcement and reentry highlighting their city's efforts to prevent youth violence.

By Jim Walls for The Juvenile Justice Information Exchange

Budget concerns stalled juvenile justice reform in Georgia this week, as the Georgia Senate declined to take it up in the waning days of the 2012 legislative session. But what about the costs of not passing juvenile justice reform?

The proposed 246-page Child Protection and Public Safety Act would have strengthened programs for foster children, established community-based help rather than incarceration for many troubled juveniles and bolstered their legal representation, among many other improvements.

Those reforms, which advocates say would save taxpayers money, may now be pushed back at least another year due to questions about the expense associated with other aspects of the bill.

By Robert Swift for The Times-Tribune.com

HARRISBURG - House lawmakers approved legislation Tuesday to put Pennsylvania at the forefront of states that protect children's rights to legal counsel in juvenile court.

The unanimous House vote signals an end-game for a two-year effort to require attorneys representing a juvenile be present at delinquency hearings and end a practice that allowed juveniles to completely waive the right to counsel.

By Kenneth Lovett and Glenn Blain for NYDaily News.com

ALBANY — State leaders reached a deal on a juvenile justice reform plan Monday as they raced to complete New York’s first early budget in nearly three decades.

The deal allows nonviolent juvenile offenders from the five boroughs to be housed closer to home in city-run facilities rather than Albany-run centers upstate.

Lawmakers also decided to go along with Gov. Cuomo’s plan to create a gaming commission to regulate all gambling in the state — including lottery and casino games.

By Kim Dvorchak for The Huffington Post

Nearly 20 years ago Colorado expanded prosecutorial power to select youth accused of certain crimes for filing in the adult criminal justice system, called direct file. Today, numerous studies show that prosecuting youth as adults increases a youth's likelihood to re-offend and decreases community safety. Also, evidence-based programs and treatment shown to curb juvenile offending simply are not available in adult court. Colorado is one of many states taking a second look at laws that fell behind current research and considering implementation of best practices that retain more youth in the juvenile court system. House Bill 1271 improves the system of selecting youth for adult prosecution by providing youth due process; the right to a hearing and judicial review over the decision to remove them from juvenile court.

By Steve Kobak for The Hour.com

NORWALK, CT -- Upwards of 100 juvenile criminal cases could make their way back into the criminal justice system with the elimination of an early intervention program that is currently on the city's chopping block, officials familiar with the program said.

The proposed budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year does not include funding for the Juvenile Review Board, a diversionary program for young criminal offend that was previously funded by a Department of Justice grant.

"It's an important cog in our system that we utilize on a daily basis," said Lt. Ashley Gonzalez, commander of the Youth Bureau of the Norwalk Police Department.