One man's advice for youth offenders

There is a new member of the board at Child Center of New York. Giselle Burgess is the program manager of Girl Scouts of Greater New York Troop 6000, which serves girls in the city homeless system. She also brings a unique personal experience to the board, according to a press release, because she is a past client of the nonprofit.

“After becoming homeless herself and living in a shelter with her five children several years ago, Giselle saw there was a great need for such a program for girls and women living in the shelter system,” the release reads in part.

One juvenile offender has 10 tips for young offenders facing trial. Mustafa Zulu entered prison in 1993 after being convicted at age 16 of murder in Washington, D.C.. He would eventually spend 22 years in solitary confinement and has published his writing in a variety of publications. Supporters are currently seeking his early release.

In the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange article, Zulu offers 10 lessons for youths facing trials and long prison sentences. Read it all here. 

One nonprofit is fighting trauma with yoga. Services for the UnderServed has deployed “trauma-informed yoga” into the programming at a substance abuse treatment center in the Bronx. The goal is to use yoga to reduce anxiety and boost cardiovascular health, according to a post on the nonprofit’s website. A pilot project conducted with Bronx Partners for Healthy Communities began last year. 

“In a preliminary assessment of the pilot last summer, a majority of residents reported they had a better awareness of their coping skills and were more open and motivated to participate in treatment, accept help and engage with peers,” reads the website post.

One NYN Media reader has some data on how New York State uses psychotropic drugs in the foster care system. The issue was the subject of an editor’s note in the July 22 NYN First Read, which concerned a federal class action settlement with the state of Missouri, including this excerpt:

“The federal government has reached a settlement with Missouri that has big implications for foster care nationwide. The Chronicle of Social Change reports that the state has agreed to change how it gives psychotropic medication to foster care youth to resolve the first federal class-action lawsuit solely focused on the practice. Moving forward, the state will have to get permission from birth parents – unless their parental rights have been terminated – before prescribing such drugs to children. Additional measures aim to ensure that there are periodic reviews of such prescriptions, which can only be used to treat conditions identified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”

One NYN reader noted that New York State keeps some relevant data in the Medicaid management information system.

1. This document goes through the city’s medical policies for youth in care. 
2. Here are details on a 2019 update. 

Acacia Network housing is getting a $14.4 million contract from the New York City Department of Homeless Services. The nonprofit is currently under investigation for alleged self-dealing between executives and a private security company. However, that appears to not have affected its latest deal with the city, which will fund a family homeless shelter. The department has also inked a $16 million contract with CAMBA to fund a homeless shelter for five years at 59-65 Prince Street in Brooklyn. A third contract, this one for $2.1 million, will fund a homeless shelter run by 2136 Crotona Parkway HDFC at that same address in the Bronx.