At every stage of the juvenile justice process and in every offense category, African-American juveniles are detained at substantially higher rates than white youths, according to the report. For example, when white and minority juveniles with no prior admissions were charged with the same offense, African Americans were six times more likely to be jailed than whites, and Latinos were three times more likely to be jailed.
The report, "And Justice for Some: Differential Treatment of Minority Youth in the Justice System," was issued by Building Blocks for Youth, an alliance of research, community, and law-enforcement personnel, and is based on data from the U.S. Department of Justice's office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention. The report can be accessed at: www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/justiceforsome/jfs.html.
The Philadelphia school board has abandoned a proposed contract with Coca-Cola, in what the Center for Commercial-Free Public Education says "may signify a turning point in the battle against exclusive cola contracts."
Speaking at the February school board meeting, one parent said the proposed contract "threatens what remains of the separation between public education and corporate interests and undermines our children's health." Even if the Coke vending machines were to sell only juice, she said, they'd be sending the message that drinking Coke is a good thing.
The $43 million contract would have been one of the largest beverage contracts with a school district in the country, as reported in the Philadephia Inquirer. It would have placed vending machines in all of the elementary schools and doubled the total number of vending machines in city schools to more than 1,300.