Georgia fixes broken system

Dusty Nix of the Columbus Ledger Enquirer tempers positive news about federal oversight of Georgia’s youth detention system being lifted after 11 years with sobering reminders of why it happened in the first place.   Georgia’s system for incarcerating kids was in need of repair in1998 and the state responded accordingly.

In 2005, the state Senate declared the Juvenile Code, the laws governing the treatment of children in the courts, to be in need of repair after more than 30 years on the books.    Our leaders have shown they can summon the will to make necessary changes and need to do so once again on this issue.  Let’s hope it doesn’t take 11 more years.

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Make sure to visit the JUSTGeorgia Coalition website to learn about the effort to pass legislation that will adopt an updated Juvenile Code.  www.justga.org.

 

Disparity wide in state babies’ health

The study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America reported on in today’s AJC sheds some light on the link between parental income and education with the health of children.  Not surprisingly, higher income and education generally yield better child health.  Also not a surprise is that Georgia is ranked near the bottom in the nation when it comes to disparities in infant mortality.  What does come as a surprise – at least at first glance – is the statistic that more than 40 percent of Georgia children live in poor or near-poor households, while 26 percent live in high-income families.

I’m still looking for a link to the report to find out how poor and high-income are defined.  It’s generally accepted that about 20 percent of Georgia kids live in poverty.  But 26 percent of kids live in high-come households?

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