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Juvenile injustice: truants face courts, jailing without legal counsel to aid them

By Susan Ferriss

Court procedures leave minor offenders with few rights.

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California takes on harsh discipline and academic inequities for black, Latino students

By Susan Ferriss

California bars truancy jailing

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Suit against Kern County schools alleges disproportionate discipline for minorities

By Susan Ferriss

Litigation follows Center pieces highlighting harsh discipline for minorities.

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A life-and-death struggle for asylum in America

By Susan Ferriss and Amy Isackson

Teens' tortured road to asylum in America.

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Children's rights groups urge Defense program to stop giving school cops military hardware

By Susan Ferriss

Groups trying to curb use of police in school discipline urge federal officials not give military weapons to campus police departments.

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L.A. schools program aims to keep kids out of courts

By Susan Ferriss

Effort aims to keep police involvement in minor school infractions to a minimum in L.A. schools.

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Federal complaint challenges Texas town's new ban on housing any border kids

By Susan Ferriss

Civil rights groups are challenging ordinances that prohibit cooperation with federal officials if they ask to shelter kids in towns.

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Trains, amputations and the roots of why kids are on the run

By Susan Ferriss

Reports have long warned of chaos in Central America many minors say they want to escape.

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Class-action suit: Wrong to put kids into immigration court with no lawyers to help

By Susan Ferriss

Kids whose dad was killed by gangsters are among the plaintiffs in a suit arguing that children should have lawyers in immigration court.

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Will migrant kids lose access to child-welfare and legal specialists in rush to deport?

By Susan Ferriss

Child advocates are worried possible legal changes could cut off migrant kids' access to social workers, asylum lawyers.

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L.A. judge objects to school police getting millions reserved for struggling students

By Susan Ferriss

A top juvenile court judge objects to a proposal giving school police $13 million out of a state fund to help disadvantaged kids learn.

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States urged to embrace alternatives to school discipline criminalizing kids

By Susan Ferriss

The Council of State Governments warns that harsh school dicipline disproportionately harms ethnic minority, disabled and LBGT students.

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State Senate leader reacts to Center report, urging counsel for truants

By Susan Ferriss

A majority state Senate leader in Tennessee says he is troubled by a Center report on accused truants prosecuted, jailed with no lawyers.

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Lawsuit: Low-income students assigned too much 'work experience' or free time instead of classes they need

By Susan Ferriss

A lawsuit filed on behalf of kids in poor California schools demands state monitor and intervene practices depriving kids of teaching time.

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Tennessee Supreme Court declines to review case featured in Center report

By Susan Ferriss

Tennessee teen truant was jailed, allegedly without being informed of right to counsel.

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Abuse in court? Deputy strikes boy in court, boy charged with assault

By Susan Ferriss

A court and sheriff's department with a checkered past are accused in a suit of tolerating abuse of a boy in court.

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New report ranks best, worst states for kids of all ethnicities

By Susan Ferriss

Ethnic minority children will be majority of U.S. kids in four years, but face barriers to success in some places.

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North Carolina foster teen languishes in adult jail for school incident

By Susan Ferriss

A judge freed a foster girl from adult jail after a school police arrest, but N.C. social services fail to come get her.

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Holder, Duncan stunned by discipline figures

By Susan Ferriss

Holder, Duncan express shock at suspensions of thousands of preschoolers.

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California report: Don't spend new education money on campus police

By Susan Ferriss

As California readies to direct millions to districts with neediest kids, a new policy brief warns against spending it on campus security.

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Harsh school discipline gets more scrutiny in Congress

By Susan Ferriss

Researchers and educators urge schools to embrace alternatives to kicking kids out on suspension.

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United Nations report: 'Children on the Run' from violent homelands

By Susan Ferriss

Numbers of Central American and Mexico minors who say they're fleeing violence are surging.

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Obama announces foundation-funded project to help black, Latino youth

By Susan Ferriss

'My Brother's Keeper' is a $200 million program aimed at keeping minority youth out of the criminal justice system.

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Closing a troubled symbol of Texas juvenile justice

By Maurice Chammah

Closure of Corsicana juvenile facility brings curtain down on a troubling history.

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New California data show drop in overall school suspensions, expulsions

By Susan Ferriss

New California data reveal 12 percent drop in suspensions, expulsions.

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San Francisco takes lead in defining role of school police, sets limits on interrogations, arrests

By Susan Ferriss

City by the Bay pulls back on interrogations and arrests.

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North Carolina complaint alleges excessive force by police in schools

By Susan Ferriss

North Carolina complaint complaint alleges heavy-handed tactics inside schools.

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New federal guidelines aimed at stopping explosion in harsh school discipline

By Susan Ferriss

Departments of Education and Justice team up to produce resource for school discipline and role of school police.

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Data shows San Francisco's black students suspended at extremely high rates

By Susan Ferriss

Black students are only 8% of S.F. high schoolers, yet 50% of those suspended for 'willful defiance.'

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Writers and editors

Susan Ferriss

Reporter The Center for Public Integrity
sferriss@publicintegrity.org

Susan Ferriss is a prize-winning former foreign correspondent who has been investigating treatment of children by the U.S.... More about Susan Ferriss