Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced Tuesday the statewide expansion of a juvenile justice program that requires law enforcement officers to inform schools anytime a student is exposed to a traumatic event or act of violence.
In a Tuesday press conference at the State Police Professional Development Center in Dunbar, Tomblin and Goodwin unveiled plans to create the West Virginia Center for Children's Justice, which will serve as a headquarters for the program and several task forces that will handle child abuse and neglect cases.
The center is a collaborative effort between Goodwin's office, State Police and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. It will be used to disseminate information and resources on trauma intervention and will house training facilities for police officers, educators and counselors from around the state.
A national survey on children's exposure to violence found that 60 percent of students experience some kind of trauma in their homes, schools or communities and that 40 percent of those kids are direct victims of violence. Students exposed to violence are also at higher risk of engaging in criminal behavior later in life.
[For more of this story, written by Samuel Speciale, go to http://www.charlestondailymail...50331/DM01/150339810]
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