Found 38 matches.
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Intersectional Justice in Practice
Tags: Federal | North Carolina | LGBTQ Youth | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Prevention | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Advocacy | Presentations | Reports | Research | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This powerpoint from NJJN Forum 2018 was put together by Ames Simmons, Director of Transgender Policy at Equality North Carolina, and addresses potential legislative responses to discriminatory policies and practices that unfairly target LGBTQ youth.
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Charging Youth As Adults Is Ineffective, Bias-Fraught & Harmful
Tags: California | Brain and Adolescent Development | Collateral Consequences | Crime Data and Statistics | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Risk Assessment and Screening | Youth in the Adult System | Victims | Evidence-Based Practices | Legislation | Reports | Research
Prop. 57 passed this past November, one section took away from prosecutors the power to cause a young person to be tried as an adult out, and gave the power back to judges. The report includes disproportionality of race and geography in adult sentencing.
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A stolen cellphone, then an odyssey through Maryland's juvenile justice system
Tags: Maryland | Aftercare/Reentry | Brain and Adolescent Development | Collateral Consequences | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Detention | Family and Youth Involvement | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Prevention | Victims | Restorative Justice | Correctional Education | Media | Reports
A thirteen year old boy was with a group of boys who had stolen a cell phone. The counsellors and attorney argued that restorative action be administered as a best outcome. The Judge disagreed and ordered a 90 day term in a juvenile detention.
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Defining Violence: reducing incarceration by rethinking America’s approach to violence, JPI
Tags: National | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Victims | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Reports | Partner Publications
To impact mass incarceration, this piece from the Justice Policy Institute urges rethinking how the justice system responds to violent crimes, starting with how these crimes and behaviors are defined, and how that affects prison populations.
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Crime Victims and Justice Reform - Fact Sheet from Justice Policy Institute
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Public Opinion and Messaging | Victims | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Some crime victim organizations are supporting an approach to violence prevention, sentencing and violent crime that offer new opportunities to build support for policy change, and there are new opportunities to expand funding for these approaches.
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Victims of Crime Act and the Need for Advocacy
Tags: California | Victims | Web-Based Tools
Too often, crime survivors, especially repeat victims of crime, lack access to basic supports to address trauma and get help with recovery. There is a new opportunity to increase funding for programs that serve the people and communities most harmed by violence and crime and least helped. Californians for Safety and Justice put together this toolkit to help crime survivors and advocates learn about this new opportunity and organize to access funding.
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Juvenile Offenders and Victimes: 2014 National Report
Tags: National | Crime Data and Statistics | Victims | Reports
Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2014 National Report is the fourth edition of a comprehensive report on juvenile crime, victimization, and the juvenile justice system. The report consists of the most requested information on juveniles and the juvenile justice system in the U.S. Developed by the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the report draws on reliable data and relevant research to provide a comprehensive and insightful view of young offenders and victims, and what happens to those who enter the juvenile justice system in the United States.
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Compensating Victims of Crime - John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Tags: Federal | National | Victims | Reports
This report discusses the system by which victims and survivors can be compensated for expenses resulting from their victimization or from the death of a family member. Compensation originates from state statutes and is supplemented by federal funds, which represent one-third of benefits paid. States distribute compensation in the form of reimbursements to eligible victims and survivors whose claims are approved. The financial structure of victim compensation is problematic at the federal level, where funds are vastly under allocated. While some states have more than enough funds to pay compensation benefits, other state programs are understaffed or suffer from improper methods of accounting.
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Victims Voices for Reform: 4 Crime Victim Advocates Weigh in on Changes to State Sentencing Laws
Tags: National | Victims | Media
In a growing number of states, crime victims and survivors are actively participating in the development of sentencing and corrections policies and funding decisions to help prevent others from being victimized. The reforms, many of which are part of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), use data-driven strategies to hold offenders accountable, control costs, and protect public safety. In several states, these changes also have helped improve victim services, including notification systems that provide timely updates about offenders’ status within the criminal justice system.
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Bridging the Divide: A New Paradigm for Addressing Safety, Crime, and Victimization
Tags: National | Victims | Reports
Bridging the Divide provides snapshots of work being done on the ground and proposes arenas for further action. Victim advocates and criminal justice reformers are engaged in the lengthy, difficult work of creating safe and healthy communities.
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Collateral Damage: America's Failure to Forgive or Forget in the War on Crime
Tags: National | Victims | Presentations
The stigma an offender receives upon entering the criminal justice system is lifelong. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers provide guidelines of how to restore rights of these persons, along with the suggestions of some type of relief or pardon that should relieve mandatory collateral consequences.
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California Crime Victims' Voices Findings from the First-Ever Survey of California Crime Victims and Survivors
Tags: California | Victims | Research
This survey on California victims and survivors of crime reveals the longlasting psychological impact of crime, how often a crime goes reported/unreported, and that victims and survivors are not always receiving the most effective services to help deal with their trauma. This research sheds light on why improvements in the criminal justice system in California need to be made, and focus should be concentrated across several areas in order to do so.
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Transforming Victim Services Executive Summary
Tags: Federal | National | Victims | Reports | Research
Vision 21 aims to bring more awareness and knowledge about crime victimization. The final report provides recommendations on how to do so through state, local, and federal levels. Through a collaborative effort, data at all levels should be combined, which should bring an end to the research gap that exists on the topic of crime victimization.
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Transforming Victim Services Final Report
Tags: Federal | National | Victims | Reports | Research
Vision 21 expands the knowledge of crime victimization by delving into three areas of research: basic research, program evaluation, and evidence-based practices. These three areas of research exposes the impact of crime on victims and its consequences. Research shows that more focus needs to be put on victims' rights and providing services to them.
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Vision 21 At a Glance
Tags: Federal | National | Victims | Reports
There are still ongoing challenges in providing crime victims with the adequate services that they need. Ways to avoid these challenges and lack of resources for crime victims are: conduct and integrate strategic planning on all government levels, provide empirical data, strive for policies regarding crime victim issues, and make sure this field area is equipped with the technology it needs.
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Untold Stories of California Crime Victims: Research and Recommendations on Repeat Victimization and Rebuilding Lives
Tags: California | Victims | Research
A growing body of research indicates that the strongest predictor of many forms of victimization is having previously been a victim of crime. As we strive to find ways to improve public safety, it is imperative that we also put the experience of this vulnerable population at the center of our inquiry.
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California Crime Victims' Voices: Findings from the First-Ever Survey of California Crime Victims and Survivors
Tags: California | Victims | Reports | Research
This report describes the findings of a large-scale survey of California crime victims and points to opportunities for further research and reforms to improve victim recovery.
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A House Divided No More: Common Cause for Juvenile Justice Advocates, Victim Advocates, and Communities
Tags: National | General System Reform | Victims | Restorative Justice | NJJN Publications
This policy paper argues for ending the divide between youth justice reformers and crime victims' advocates; explores the false divide between "offenders" and "victims" and other misperceptions about who is most often harmed by crime, and how to hold youth accountable in age-appropriate ways while doing a better job of serving the people they have harmed.
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Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services
Tags: National | Victims | Reports
The Office for Victims and Crimes at the Office developed this resource as a guidebook for a more comprehensive, systemic approach to addressing the needs of crime victims.
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Nature and Risk of Victimization: Findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement
Tags: Federal | National | Institutional Conditions | Victims | Reports
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) released this bulletin on the nature and frequency of victimization of youth in residential placement. The study finds that there is an urgent need to create policy and implement programs to better prevent the victimization of youth in residential facilities.
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Arkansas Moves to Decriminalize Youth Victims of Sex Trafficking, S.B. 869
Tags: Arkansas | Victims | Legislation
Finding that “the criminal justice system is not the appropriate place for sexually exploited children because it serves to retraumatize them and increase their feelings of low self-esteem,” the Arkansas Legislature passed the “Safe Harbor Victims Act” to help protect children who are victims of sex trafficking. The law mandates an interim study on child sex trafficking and creates a fund to help pay for services and treatment for youth who are trafficked. Additionally, the law requires the state Department of Human Services to develop a statewide protocol for the delivery of services to sexually exploited children and encourages training of law enforcement and prosecutors in how to identify and provide services for sexually exploited children. S.B. 869/Act No.1267, signed into law April 16, 2013; effective August 16, 2013.
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Defending Childhood: Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence
Tags: Federal | Brain and Adolescent Development | General System Reform | Girls | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | LGBTQ Youth | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Prevention | Risk Assessment and Screening | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Reports
The U.S. Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence report makes recommendations to prevent children from exposure to crime, abuse, and violence; and assist those who have been. Includes recommendations to improve the juvenile justice system.
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Defending Childhood: [Executive Summary] Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence
Tags: Federal | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Girls | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | LGBTQ Youth | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Prevention | Risk Assessment and Screening | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Reports
This document summarizes key recommendations from the Attorney General to prevent children from exposure to crime, abuse, and violence; and assist those who have been exposed. Includes recommendations to improve the juvenile justice system. [Executive Summary]
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Hawaii Protects Victims of Human Trafficking, S.B. 2576
Tags: Hawaii | Victims | Legislation
Hawaii passed legislation that authorizes a person convicted of a prostitution offense to file a motion to vacate the judgment if he or she can prove having been a victim of trafficking. S.B. 2576/Act No. 2012-216, signed into law and effective July 3, 2012.
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Youth Who Are Victims of Human Trafficking Gain Protection under Ohio Law, H.B. 262
Tags: Ohio | Victims | Legislation
Under a new Ohio law that aims to “treat victims as victims rather than as criminals,” youth accused of committing the adult act of solicitation, prostitution, or loitering or charged with offenses related to their trafficking are entitled to participate in a diversion program and receive a guardian ad litem. The juvenile court judge may make orders about the youth’s placement and services and if the court finds the youth completes these rehabilitative services, the underlying charges can be dismissed and the youth’s record can be expunged. H.B. 262/Act No. 142, signed into law and effective June 27, 2012.
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Louisiana Protects Child Trafficking Victims from Prosecution for Prostitution
Tags: Louisiana | Victims | Legislation
Thanks to a new Louisiana law, youth who are victims of trafficking may not be adjudicated as delinquent for prostitution-related offenses. The law also allows youth who were victims of trafficking and were adjudicated delinquent for prostitution-related offenses to have their records expunged. H.B. 49/Act No. 446, signed into law June 1, 2012; effective August 1, 2012.
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Vermont Allows Prostitution Convictions Resulting from Human Trafficking to Be Expunged, S.B. 122
Tags: Utah | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Victims | Legislation
Vermont now allows a person to file a motion to vacate a prostitution conviction if the conviction was the result of the person having been a victim of human trafficking. If the motion is granted, the person’s record for the offense must be expunged. S.B. 122/Act No. 2012-94, signed into law and effective May 1, 2012.
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Florida Grants Safe Harbor to Sexually Exploited Youth, H.B. 99
Tags: Florida | Victims | Legislation
A new law in Florida specifies that sexually exploited youth must be treated as dependent rather than delinquent and that the state must provide such youth with care and services—independent of citizenship—if they are not already receiving comparable services. Services may be accessed voluntarily, as a condition of probation, or through a diversion program. The law also increases fines for soliciting prostitutes from $500 to $5,000, using the fines to fund the creation of secure safe houses with special living quarters for sexually exploited youth; provides sexually exploited youth residing in safe houses with an advocate, responsible for accompanying the youth to all important meetings and court appearances; and authorizes the pursuit of training funds to inform law enforcement officials about child sexual exploitation. H.B. 99/Act No. 2012-105, signed into law April 13, 2012; effective January 1, 2013.
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Educate Every Child: Promoting Positive Solutions to School Discipline in Virginia
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Reports
This report on the school-to-prison pipeline documents school suspensions/expulsions in Virginia, the negative impact of harsh school disciplinary policies on students and community safety, and offers evidence that an existing program within the schools dramatically reduces the need for expulsion an suspensions, by teaching and supporting positive behavior.
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Moving Beyond Sides: The Power and Potential of a New Public Safety Policy Paradigm
Tags: Oregon | Victims | Member Publications
This paper is designed to foster critical dialogue and actual movement toward more proactive and thoughtful collaboration between crime survivor advocates and criminal justice reform advocates who have a shared stake in creating a system focused on long-term, evidence-based policies best equipped to create safe and healthy communities.
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Moving Beyond Sides: The Power and Potential of a New Public Safety Policy Paradigm - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Tags: Oregon | Victims | Member Publications
This paper is designed to foster critical dialogue and actual movement toward more proactive and thoughtful collaboration between crime survivor advocates and criminal justice reform advocates who have a shared stake in creating a system focused on long-term, evidence-based policies best equipped to create safe and healthy communities.
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Minnesota Passes Safe Harbor Law Protecting Youth Victims of Sexual Exploitation, S.F. 1
Tags: Minnesota | Girls | Victims | Legislation
A Minnesota law provides that sexually exploited youth under the age of 16 cannot be detained as delinquent. It also establishes mandatory diversion of first-time offenders who are 16 or 17 years old and have been exploited through prostitution. The law increases penalties against “johns” and directs the Commissioner of Public Safety to create a victim-centered response to sexually exploited youth.
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Georgia Addresses Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth, H.B. 200
Tags: Georgia | Girls | Victims | Legislation
Law amends Georgia's anti-human trafficking law, which encompasses the commercial sexual exploitation of youth. The law clarifies its offenses; substantially increases penalties; allows for the forfeiture of property related to the crime; limits the use of the victim's sexual history, relation to defendant, and the ability to consent as a defense to sex trafficking; and provides that a person will not be guilty of a prostitution-related crime if the act was committed under coercion or deception while the person was a human trafficking victim.
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Connecticut Police Must Report Possible Abuse or Neglect of Youth Arrested for Prostitution, S.B. 1044
Tags: Connecticut | Girls | Victims | Legislation
Legislation requires police to report suspected abuse or neglect of youth arrested for prostitution to the Department of Children and Families. This is part of a movement to decriminalize youth involved in prostitution, and increase the recognition that youth involved in prostitution are very often being coerced and/or abused by adults.
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Connecticut Passes Law to Protect Sexually Exploited Children S.B. 153
Tags: Connecticut | Girls | Victims | Legislation
The Connecticut General Assembly passed "An Act Providing Safe Harbor for Exploited Children," which makes it illegal for youth younger than 16 to be charged with prostitution. Previously there was no age limit for charging youth with prostitution. The law also provides that for 16- and 17-year olds, there is a presumption that the youth was coerced into committing the offense. Lastly, the bill increases the penalties for promoting the prostitution of someone younger than 18 years old.
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Washington Prosecutors Must Divert Youth Prostitution Cases if First Offense, S.B. 6476
Tags: Washington | Girls | Victims | Legislation
In 2009, the Washington State Legislature passed a law allowing a prosecutor to divert a case where a youth is alleged to have committed prostitution or prostitution loitering, regardless of the youth’s offense history or previous diversions (H.B. 1505). A 2010 law takes the changes a step further: Washington law now requires a prosecutor to divert a youth alleged to have committed the offense of prostitution or prostitution loitering if it is his or her first offense; the prosecutor may divert subsequent allegations. And, as of July 1, 2011, the state may file a CHINS (Child In Need of Services) petition for sexually exploited youth and must connect such youth with services and treatment. A youth charged with prostitution who is also a victim of sexual abuse may apply for benefits from the Crime Victim’s Compensation fund.
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Georgia Protects Child Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation Through Child Abuse Definition, S.B. 69
Tags: Georgia | Girls | Victims | Legislation
Georgia's mandatory child abuse reporting law was expanded to help identify youth who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, by redefining sexual exploitation as a form of child abuse, and recognizing sexual exploitation as child abuse regardless of who is exploiting the child.
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Washington Prosecutors May Divert Youth Prostitution Cases, H.B. 1505
Tags: Washington | Girls | Victims | Legislation
The Washington State Legislature passed a law allowing a prosecutor to divert a case where a youth is alleged to have committed prostitution or prostitution loitering, regardless of the youth’s offense history or previous diversions.