Found 105 matches.
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Respect Youth Stories: A Toolkit for Advocates to Ethically Engage in Youth Justice Storytelling
Tags: Advocacy | NJJN Publications | Member Publications | Partner Publications
It is critically important to establish an ethical approach to advocacy storytelling so that young people are not exploited or re-harmed in the process of sharing their experiences. "Respect Their Stories" is a toolkit that outlines how young people want advocacy organizations to ethically engage in youth justice storytelling.
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PRESENTATION: The Transformative Process of Collaborating with Parents and Family Members: Engagement, Involvement & Partnership
Tags: Family and Youth Involvement | Member Publications
“The Transformative Process of Collaborating with Parents and Family Members: Engagement, Involvement & Partnership,” is a new advocacy brief that establishes a baseline for understanding how advocates and professionals can collaborate with parents and family members in their local community, states and nation. While most stakeholders working with parents and family members coin the ultimate relationship as “engagement,” the New Jersey Parents Caucus recognizes engagement as a process, and collaboration as an ultimate goal. The following tools are available to help you create collaboration with parents and families.
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REPORT: The Transformative Process of Collaborating with Parents and Family Members: Engagement, Involvement & Partnership
Tags: Family and Youth Involvement | Member Publications
“The Transformative Process of Collaborating with Parents and Family Members: Engagement, Involvement & Partnership,” is a new advocacy brief that establishes a baseline for understanding how advocates and professionals can collaborate with parents and family members in their local community, states and nation. While most stakeholders working with parents and family members coin the ultimate relationship as “engagement,” the New Jersey Parents Caucus recognizes engagement as a process, and collaboration as an ultimate goal. The following tools are available to help you create collaboration with parents and families.
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8th Free Metro Pass Campaign Report
Tags: California | Prevention | Reports | Member Publications
Report arguing for free student Metro passes over law enforcement criminalization of riders for fare evasion. Youth Justice Coalition.
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Getting Paid
Tags: California | Prevention | Fines and Fees | Reports | Teleconference | Member Publications
Report for the Youth Justice Coalition's campaign that ended charging of juvenile system fees at the County levels and eventual passing of SB 190 ending fees and fines for youth statewide
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HIA Report from LA County Department of Public Health
Tags: California | Prevention | Reports | Teleconference | Member Publications
Published in collaboration with Youth Justice Coalition about youth on Free Metro Pass Campaign.
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Minority Report
Tags: California | Prevention | Teleconference | Member Publications
Report from Youth Justice Coalition on "Voluntary Probation" in LA County.
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Pre-Diversion Webinar Slides Youth Justice Coalition_9/25/19
Tags: California | Prevention | Teleconference | Member Publications
Slides presented by Kim McGill, Youth Justice Coalition during the webinar: "Pre-Booking Diversion: Why It's Needed and How to Increase Racial Equity" recorded on 9/25/19. SUMMARY: On September 25, 2019, the Youth Justice Coalition (YJC), the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), and Human Impact Partners came together to discuss their work with the Office of Youth Diversion and Development to advance a pre-booking diversion initiative. The initiative aims to prevent youth youth arrests and referrals to probation, based on a public health and youth development framework.
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NJPC Souls of Young Folk Report
Tags: New Jersey | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Member Publications
Every year, over 75,000 children and youth are tried as adults across the country.1 Between 32,000 and 60,000 of those youth are held in adult jails.2 The number of laws providing for the prosecution, incarceration, and sentencing of youth as adults grew substantially in the 1980s and 1990s, including in New Jersey. This brief explores the causes of racial disparities and disproportionality in New Jersey's waiver of black youth to the adult criminal justice system. To analyze potential causes, we reviewed data from the New Jersey Department of Corrections, the Office of the Attorney General, and the New Jersey State Police along with qualitative surveys from incarcerated youth and their families. In addition to data, we gathered historical research on the treatment of black adults and youth in New Jersey and the development of New Jersey's waiver laws over the past thirty-seven years. Our conclusion is that there are a constellation of factors including historical, structural, and implicit bias that contribute to the disproportionate waiver of black youth to the adult system. As a result, the New Jersey Parents' Caucus recommends ending the practice of waiver of youth to the adult system to address the historical, structural, and implicit bias embedded in the waiver process. We recognize that ending youth waiver is a long-term effort; therefore, to start addressing bias immediately, we recommend holding prosecutors accountable for the discretion they wield in transferring youth to the adult criminal justice system. Specifically, there is a need for more detailed data collection, transparency, and oversight to address the ongoing effects of historical, structural, and implicit bias negatively impacting black youth.
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Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) Fact Sheet Series - Conditions in Youth Facilities
Tags: Federal | NJJN Publications | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
The week of December 10, 2018, Congress passed H.R. 6964, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (the Act) with overwhelming bipartisan support. The President signed the bill into law on December 21, 2018, amending the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) after years of collaborative efforts among juvenile justice organizations and advocates across the United States. Please find a summary of the provisions related to conditions in youth facilities and their implications for the youth justice system
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Principles of Effective Juvenile Justice Policy
Tags: Federal | Colorado | District of Columbia | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Advocacy | Reports | Member Publications | Partner Publications
The NCSL Juvenile Justice Principles Work Group project was developed under an NCSL partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts public safety performance project. The work group project responds to the challenge lawmakers face of constructing juvenile justice systems that are both fiscally responsible and improve outcomes on many important fronts: protecting and enhancing public safety, holding youth accountable, helping youth develop the skills they need to succeed, preserving and strengthening families, and promoting fairness. The issues addressed in these Principles reflect the important role of state legislatures in enacting policies that avoid unnecessary involvement of youth in the justice system and support evidence-based interventions that reduce recidivism and protect public safety. While working group members and other lawmakers recognize that confinement may be necessary for youth who commit the most serious crimes and pose the greatest threat to public safety, a major interest of the group was sustaining and reinforcing the current trends of falling juvenile crime and out-of-home placement rates.
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Toolkit: Facility Closure and Strategic Downsizing of Juvenile Justice Systems July 2018
Tags: Federal | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Correctional Education | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications
This Toolkit was prepared by the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) with additional support from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Many agencies across the country are closing facilities. CJCA members have been informally helping each other through this process and wanted to collect their experiences, resources and advice in one document. In addition to juvenile justice administrators and agency staff, the information here may be useful to legislators, court officers and administrators, leaders of related agencies (e.g., education, health), advocates, and others who may be engaged in the closure process and/or supporting youth and families. This guide is intended to help juvenile justice agencies responsibly and successfully close a facility and consider closure as a component of efforts to safely reduce the use of juvenile justice placement facilities. It also shows how best to manage those closures when they occur, as well as how to redirect facility operational funds to other parts of the system, such as community‐based diversion and/or aftercare services.
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Ready to Launch: A Campaign Starter Toolkit to Close Youth Prisons
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Advocacy | Member Publications | Partner Publications
This toolkit created by Youth First Initiative can guide you on how to create a strategic plan to run a campaign to promote different initiatives and movement to close youth prisons. Presented to you is step-by-step guidelines to start a campaign from start to finish. It starts with researching and gathering information. Then it’s time to get your voice heard, create workplan and strategic approach, reach out to those of power, develop concrete planes, organize plan, develop campaign, get resources and support you need, use power of public opinion and media, recruit necessary staff, plan and execute post-launch activities.
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5 Key Facts to Know About Racial Disparities in the Youth Justice System- state
Tags: Federal | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
5 Key Facts to Know About Racial Disparities in the Youth Justice System
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Know the Facts: Juvenile Records in Maine
Tags: Maine | Confidentiality | Member Publications
Following up on the March 2017 release of Unsealed Fate: The Unintended Consequences of Inadequate Safeguarding of Juvenile Records in Maine, which found widespread misinformation about what it means to have a juvenile record in Maine, this new resource answers some of the most frequently asked questions. The Maine Center for Juvenile Policy and Law worked with members of the Juvenile Justice Reform Work Group, the Department of Corrections, the Juvenile Justice Program of the USM Muskie School of Public Service, and other key stakeholders to develop the resource.
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NORCOR_DRO_Don't Look Around-A Window into Inhumane Conditions for Youth ...
Tags: Oregon | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Youth in the Adult System | Correctional Education | Reports | Research | Member Publications
The report shows the fact and statistics of youths being incarcerated in correctional facilities in Oregon. Due to the fact that a lot of facilities are not regulated, the safe and humane conditions for youth in such facilities have become a big concern. The lack of oversight and accountability has allowed Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR), for example, to neglect the basic mental health and social development needs of kids in custody. Disability Rights Oregon is calling for immediate implementation of the 2016 recommendation by the Oregon State Court Juvenile Justice Mental Health Task Force: that all child-serving systems commit to employing evidence-based, trauma-informed practices and that juvenile detention facilities be regulated and licensed.
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Putting Justice in North Carolina’s Juvenile System
Tags: North Carolina | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Restorative Justice | Reports | Research | Member Publications
This report by the Youth Justice Project Southern Coalition for Social Justice shows the number and statistics of youths entering the adult court system at an early age. It mentions the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, that, beginning in December 2019, will no longer automatically charge all 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal system. However, the report further explain the existence of problems in the juvenile justice system that should be improved to treat youths fairly without compromising public safety.
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WIOA Youth Funding Supplemental Letter to House Labor-H 12-11-17
Tags: Federal | Family and Youth Involvement | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter to House Appropriations leaders to ensure the WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) Youth formula program funding is left intact in the coming supplemental appropriations bill and oppose any new transfer authorities. National Youth Employment Coalition.
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WIOA Youth Funding Supplemental Letter to Senate Labor-H 12-11-17
Tags: Federal | Family and Youth Involvement | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter to Senate Appropriations leaders to ensure the WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) Youth formula program funding is left intact in the coming supplemental appropriations bill and oppose any new transfer authorities. National Youth Employment Coalition.
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DeVosSignOnLetter120617FINAL
Tags: Federal | Brain and Adolescent Development | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | Physical Health | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter to Sec. DeVos expressing strong support for robust enforcement of the regulation implementing the IDEA’s disproportionality requirements and opposition to any effort to delay its implementation. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
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Letter to urge continued funding of federal innocence forensic science programs Nov 9, 2017
Tags: Federal | Crime Data and Statistics | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Risk Assessment and Screening | Evidence-Based Practices | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications | Partner Publications
The letter to urge leaders of the Appropriations Committees to continue funding of federal innocence and forensic science programs at the Department of Justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the Department of Commerce in the final FY 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Innocence Project.
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Updated Statement on HR 3697 9.22.17 (Criminal Alien Gang Removal Act)
Tags: Federal | Crime Data and Statistics | Gangs | Immigration | International and Human Rights | Legislation | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Urges Senate Judiciary Committee Chm. Grassley and Ranking Member Feinstein to oppose the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act, H.R. 3697. National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC).
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FY18 LSC Support Letter FINAL
Tags: Federal | Family and Youth Involvement | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Fines and Fees | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Legislation | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter to Appropriations Committee leaders in support of continued investment in the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). ABA Center on Children and the Law.
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Oppose Anti-Fair Housing and Geospatial Data Amendments
Tags: Federal | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter to Representatives opposing a potential amendment to the FY17 appropriations bill that would repeal HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) regulation, require HUD to use its limited resources to duplicate previous consultations with state and local governments about how to fulfill their fair housing obligations, and block access to government geo-spatial data. National Fair Housing Alliance.
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Raise the Age NY Fact Sheet
Tags: New York | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Bill summary on “Raise the Age” legislation passed in New York on April 10, 2017. Listed are key components within the legislation.
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Children's Groups Letter to Hill_Do No Harm
Tags: Federal | Family and Youth Involvement | Physical Health | Public Opinion and Messaging | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Legislation | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Urges majority and minority leaders of House and Senate to keep the unique needs of children front and center and adopt a “do no harm” standard for children as they consider any changes to the nation’s health care system. Children’s Defense Fund.
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Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
Tags: Federal | International and Human Rights | Physical Health | Public Opinion and Messaging | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Legislation | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter of Opposition to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Education and Reform act of 2017 (H.R. 620). H.R. 620 would create significant obstacles for people with disabilities to enforce their rights under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to access public accommodations, and would impede their ability to engage in daily activities and participate in the mainstream of society. Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) and Coalition Partners.
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MERCY Act Letter of Support 2 6 17
Tags: Federal | Detention | General System Reform | International and Human Rights | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Court Decisions and Related Documents | Legislation | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter of support for the MERCY Act. Sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker to protect young people from solitary confinement. Juvenile Law Center.
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NDDU Statement following joint session speech
Tags: Federal | Public Opinion and Messaging | Advocacy | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter to Congress highlighting the importance of the programs supported by domestic spending and calling on them to work together with the President to protect these programs from further cuts and end sequestration. NDD United.
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Juvenile InJustice: Charging Youth as Adults is Ineffective, Biased, and Harmful
Tags: California | Brain and Adolescent Development | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Youth in the Adult System | Restorative Justice | Evidence-Based Practices | Reports | Research | Member Publications
A collaboration of formerly incarcerated youth and their families. Shows the harmful effects and provides recommendations for restorative justice-oriented solutions to improve health outcomes.
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SAVE-for-all-letter-11-17-16final
Tags: Federal | Public Opinion and Messaging | Advocacy | NJJN Publications | Member Publications | Partner Publications
Letter to President and Congress in support of four principles for Strengthening America’s Values and Economy (SAVE) for All. Federal priorities must (1) protect and assist low-income and vulnerable people; (2) invest in broadly shared economic growth and jobs; (3) increase revenues from fair sources; and (4) seek savings from reducing waste in the Pentagon and elsewhere. Coalition on Human Needs.
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Think Outside the Walls: Race and Incarceration in Juvenile Justice - Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
The vast majority of children incarcerated in Connecticut are minorities. This Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance issue brief highlights some reasons for this and offers policy solutions.
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California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice---Three Years of Legislative Victories: 2014 - 2016
Tags: California | Collateral Consequences | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Confidentiality | Crime Data and Statistics | Detention | General System Reform | Girls | Institutional Conditions | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Capsule summary of youth justice reform legislation NJJN member CAYCJ worked to pass 2014-2016.
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Bring Our Children Home: Ain't I A Child? (full report)
Tags: New Jersey | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Extreme racial inequalities persist within New Jersey's juvenile justice system, according to a report from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Includes policy solutions.
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Bring Our Children Home: Ain't I A Child? (policy brief)
Tags: New Jersey | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Extreme racial inequalities persist within New Jersey's juvenile justice system, according to a report from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Includes policy solutions.
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Persistent Racial Inequality in School Arrest Rates in Connecticut
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Declines in school arrest rates are not equal for all students. Racial disparities persist, and students of color continue to experience the highest school arrest rates, black and Latino youth was more than three times that of white students.
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Walk in Our Shoes- Youth Share their Ideas for Changing Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Evidence-Based Practices | Member Publications
Approximately 40 youth participated in listening sessions that became, Walk in Our Shoes: Youth Share their Ideas for Changing Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System, issued by the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance and the Youth First Initiative. The report breaks down the young people's comments into a series of recommendations.
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Think Outside the Walls: LGBTQ Youth
Tags: Connecticut | Girls | LGBTQ Youth | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Issue brief from Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance focusing on LGBTQ youth in the juvenile justice system and girls with distinct mental health needs floundering in a juvenile justice system that is designed for boys.
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People Are More Important Than Buildings
Tags: Connecticut | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This article addresses the issues of incarceration of youth in facilities that are very expensive and ineffective in dealing with youth who break the law. "People Are More Important Than Buildings", discusses steps Connecticut could and should take to hold our youth accountable while still treating them with dignity and respect.
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Racial Equity Report Card: North Carolina
Tags: North Carolina | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This report published by member Youth Justice of North Carolina; data snapshot of racial disproportionalities that exist in a North Carolina's public education and youth justice systems.
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Detained: Nebraska’s Problem with Juvenile Incarceration (Voices for NE Children)
Tags: Nebraska | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Reports | Member Publications
A fact sheet reviewing Nebraska's over-use of detention for youth, with recommendations to address the problem.
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Comment to Petition to Create Mechanical Restraints Rule (Children's Action Alliance, AZ)
Tags: Arizona | Shackling | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications
The Children's Action Alliance of Arizona rebuts arguments made on behalf of state probation officers citing the need to shackle youth in the court room and to retain discretion to do so.
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Moving Beyond Juvenile "Super-Predator" Rhetoric
Tags: Washington | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Editorial from NJJN member TeamChild refutes "super predator" concept, calls for moving beyond its devastating consequences.
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Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative Testimony on Closure of Kewanee Youth Correctional Facility_Mar25-2016
Tags: Illinois | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Testimony | Member Publications
NJJN's Illinois member, the Juvenile Justice Initiative, submitted written testimony supporting the closure of the Kewanee youth correctional facility.
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More Harm Than Good: How Children are Unjustly Tried as Adults in New Orleans
Tags: Louisiana | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Research | Member Publications
This SPLC report examines the practice of trying youth as adults in New Orleans: Research consistently demonstrates that prosecuting children as adults increases the likelihood that they will end up behind bars again. As a general matter, juvenile transfer also unjustly treats a child as a fully formed adult when science shows that young people's brains -- and their decision-making abilities -- are still developing. The sentences that transferred youth receive in Orleans Parish are often the same as they could have received in the juvenile justice system. But young people in the adult system will serve those sentences without the services offered by the juvenile system -- services that rehabilitate, educate, and prepare them for successful re-entry into the community, even as they are held securely in a juvenile prison.
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Juvenile Justice in Arizona: The Fiscal Foundations of Effective Policy
Tags: Arizona | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Fiscal Issues and Funding | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
Analysis of the state of the youth justice system in Arizona, and the fiscal underpinnings of effective youth justice policy.
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Protecting Childhood: A Blueprint for Developmentally Appropriate School Policing in Virginia
Tags: Virginia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research | Member Publications
The report describes the problems with school policing in Virginia and then provides recommendations for reforms. The appendices include tools for lawmakers and policymakers, such as a model memorandum of understanding (MOU) that school divisions and law enforcement agencies can use to incorporate best practices. The goals of the report are two-fold: 1) to stress the acute need for reform and create a more nuanced understanding of specific problems related to school policing; and 2) to advance proven reforms.
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Los Angeles County Can Better Invest in Families and Communities with Flexible Federal Funds
Tags: California | General System Reform | Member Publications
Research has clearly shown that removing LA County youth from their families and placing them in a foster care or group home setting as a solution to their developmental challenges is ineffective and imposes significant fiscal costs to the county. The educational, emotional and social costs to our youth and their families are even greater. By creating financial incentives to reduce the number of youth placed in out-of-home placement facilities by probation or child welfare in LA County, the Title IV-E Waiver program presents a tremendous opportunity for LA County to invest significantly in improving relationships between youth and their families, and their communities.
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Bring Youth Home: Building on Ohio's Deincarceration Leadership
Tags: Ohio | National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | Member Publications
Since 1992, Ohio’s youth prison population topped 2,500 and was projected to rise to 4,000. In 1994, Ohio began implementing programs to incentivize local courts to keep youth closer to home. Today admissions to Ohio juvenile correctional facilities are lower than 500 youth and Ohio makes significant investments in redirecting youth to community-based alternatives that are less expensive and more effective than locked facilities. The report is designed to give other jurisdictions insights into lessons learned in Ohio as they create new or reevaluate existing deincarceration programs as well as to continue to encourage innovate within Ohio.
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Executive Summary | Bring Youth Home: Building on Ohio's Deincarceration Leadership
Tags: Ohio | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | Member Publications
Since 1992, Ohio’s youth prison population topped 2,500 and was projected to rise to 4,000. In 1994, Ohio began implementing programs to incentivize local courts to keep youth closer to home. Today admissions to Ohio juvenile correctional facilities are lower than 500 youth and Ohio makes significant investments in redirecting youth to community-based alternatives that are less expensive and more effective than locked facilities. The report is designed to give other jurisdictions insights into lessons learned in Ohio as they create new or reevaluate existing deincarceration programs as well as to continue to encourage innovate within Ohio.
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Justice Redirected: The Impact of Reducing the Prosecution of Children as Adults in Colorado and the Continuing Need for Sentencing Reform
Tags: Colorado | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Research | Member Publications
In 2012, Colorado reformed the way children can be prosecuted as adults by changing the law that previously allowed prosecutors to press charges in adult court without judicial review. The changes to the law reduced the number of children who could be “direct fled,” — or charged — in adult court by the prosecutor, and put in place a system of oversight by allowing a judge to review the prosecutor’s decision to prosecute a juvenile in adult court.
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Principles for Kansas Youth Justice Reform
Tags: Kansas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Girls | Reports | Member Publications
This report lays out the central principles with which the Kansans United for Youth Justice campaign approaches youth justice reform.
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Youth Arrest and Court Involvement Trends in the District of Columbia 1998-2014
Tags: District of Columbia | General System Reform | Evidence-Based Practices | Reports | Research | Member Publications
This report summarizes recent data on youth arrests and court involvement in the District of Columbia. It reports key findings and makes policy recommendations, including employing a public-health approach to youth crime in the District, and encouraging more thorough data collection.
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Op-ed: A second chance: Youth justice reform = safer state
Tags: Arkansas | Member Publications
Paul Kelly of Arkansas argues for community-based alternatives over lockup for youth in trouble with the law. Cites specific examples of recent positive reforms.
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Navigating the New Jersey Juvenile Justice System: A Family Guide
Tags: New Jersey | Family and Youth Involvement | Web-Based Tools | Member Publications
A guide for families of incarcerated youth to navigating the New Jersey juvenile justice system. Created by the New Jersey Parents' Caucus (an NJJN member).
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Juvenile Prisons: National Consensus and Alternatives
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports | Research | Member Publications
This report by NJJN member the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance makes the case for the closure of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School and the Pueblo Unit, based on national research citing the failure of youth prisons nationwide to rehabilitate young people. The report makes recommendations based on successful state-level models.
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The Color of Justice
Tags: Connecticut | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Member Publications
Connecticut Juvenile Justice Association's report on racial and ethnic disparities in the Connecticut youth justice system.
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The Incarceration of Children & Youth in New Jersey's Adult Prison System
Tags: New Jersey | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
The New Jersey Parents Caucus (NJPC) created this data brief on youth in the New Jersey adult prison system. Among its key findings were gross racial and ethnic disparities, widespread denial of due process for youth, regular abuse of young people in the system, and overuse of solitary confinement on youth.
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Class, Not Court: Reconsidering Texas' Criminalization of Truancy - Texas Appleseed
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Reports | Member Publications
This report continues Texas Appleseed's school-to-prison pipeline work by delving into how Texas' approach to truancy is driving more children away from school and into the adult criminal courts. Te report explores causes of truancy, evaluates the current approaches to addressing truancy, highlights the disproportionate impacts of truancy charges on certain groups of students, and makes recommendations for ways that the Texas Legislature, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and school districts can increase attendance and help children in a meaningful way.
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From Playgrounds to Prisons: An updated look at school-based arrests in Arkansas
Tags: National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research | Member Publications
Each year, law enforcement action is taken in more than 3,000 incidents in Arkansas schools. The data show that the majority of children in the state of Arkansas affected by school policing are arrested for nonviolent offenses. This finding is consistent with the nationwide trends. Across the country, millions of students are being removed from their classrooms each year for minor misconduct.
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Keep Children Out of Orleans Parish Prison
Tags: Louisiana | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Louisiana Center for Children's Rights. LCCR successfully used this November 2014 publication as part of its successful effort to get a city council resolution that youth transferred to adult court in New Orleans be housed in juvenile detention pre-trial, not adult jail.
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Treat Kids as Kids
Tags: California | Deinstitutionalization | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Member Publications
The California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice penned this report highlighting the risks and dangers of trying, confining, or incarcerating young people in adult courts and prisons. The article offers concrete policy recommendations to ultimately end these practices in California.
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Agenda: Summit on Equitable School Discipline and Decriminalization of Children
Tags: Indiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Agenda for the Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana's Summit on Equitable School Discipline and Decriminalization of Children.
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CPLI Decriminalization of Youth Workgroup Summary of Issues and Recommendations
Tags: Indiana | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
The Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana's Decriminalization of Youth Workgroup penned this document highlighting key issues and recommendations to reform the youth justice system in Indiana.
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Equitable School Discipline Workgroup Summary of Issues and Recommendations
Tags: Indiana | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
The Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana's School Discipline Workgroup summarized central issues and recommendations for reforming school discipline policy in Indiana.
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Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois' Fall Newsletter, 2014
Tags: Illinois | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Member Publications
The Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois' (an NJJN member) quarterly newsletter for the fall of 2014 explores racial disparities in automatic provisions, gives an update on proposed legislation to reform Illinois' transfer code, and an update on Redeploy Illinois' progress.
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Don't Shoot to Kill - Infographic (Deaths Resulting from Law Enforcement Use of Force in LA County)
Tags: California | General System Reform | Member Publications
This infographic visually depicts data compiled by the Youth Justice Coalition regarding deaths resulting from law enforcement use of force in LA County from 2010-2014.
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Don't Shoot to Kill: Homicides Resulting from Law Enforcement Use of Force within LA County 2010-2014
Tags: California | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
This report documents the deaths of 589 people who lived in Los Angeles County and were killed by law enforcement between January 1, 2000 and August 31, 2014.1 In addition, the report documents all cases – with name, age, race, location and where possible incident details – from January 1, 2007 – August 31, 2014 in order to remember each individual; to investigate who is impacted by race, age, gender and community (location of the shooting); and to learn from their experiences in an attempt to save lives in the future.
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LA County Law Enforcement Use of Force Resulting in the Death of Community Members January 2007- August 2014
Tags: California | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
This chart details the name, age, sex, race, and other biographical details of all community members whose deaths resulted from police use of force in LA County from January 2007- August 2014.
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Letter: Militarizing School Police and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
A letter co-authored by Texas Appleseed urging an end to the transfer of military weapons to school climates.
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Indiana School Discipline Data: In-School and Out-of-School Suspensions
Tags: Indiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Data on school discipline collected by member organization the Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana.
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Children's Policy and Law Initiative Spring Newsletter 2014
Tags: Indiana | Member Publications
Children's Policy and Law Initiative (NJJN's Indiana member) Spring Newsletter 2014
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Children's Policy and Law Initiative Summer Newsletter 2014
Tags: Indiana | Member Publications
Children's Policy and Law Initiative (NJJN's Indiana member) Summer Newsletter 2014.
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Youth Behind Bars: Examining the Impact of Prosecuting and Incarcerating Kids in Michigan’s Criminal Justice System
Tags: Michigan | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Member Publications
This report, from the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency (an NJJN member) details the negative effects of adult incarceration on youth in Michigan.
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Kids Without Counsel: Colorado's Failure to Safeguard Due Process for Children in Juvenile Delinquency Court
Tags: Colorado | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Reports | Member Publications | Partner Publications
A collaboration between the National Juvenile Defender Center and the Colorado Juvenile Defense Coalition, this report exposes the gaping holes in access to counsel for Colorado's youth.
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Capital City Correction: Reforming DC's Use of Adult Incarceration Against Youth
Tags: District of Columbia | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications | Partner Publications
This publication, a collaboration between DC Lawyers for Youth and the Campaign for Youth Justice, details Washington D.C.'s use of adult incarceration on young people and outlines arguments against the practice.
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Automatic Adult Prosecution of Children in Cook County, Illinois, 2010-2012
Tags: Illinois | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Member Publications
This publication explores the effects of a 32-year-old Illinois law that requires juveniles accused of the most serious crimes to be charged as adults. The study finds that the law is discriminatory, prevents judges from exercising their judgment and makes it more likely that those who are convicted will commit violent crimes in the future.
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Why Detention is Not Always the Answer: A Closer Look at Youth Lock-Up in Arkansas
Tags: Arkansas | Deinstitutionalization | Risk Assessment and Screening | Member Publications
Reviews the harmful impact of juvenile detention, its use and misuse in Arkansas. Makes recommendations for detention reform.
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District Discipline: Overuse of School Suspension and Expulsion in the District of Columbia
Tags: District of Columbia | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
This report, issued by NJJN Member organization D.C. Lawyers for Youth and their Every Student Every Day Coalition, analyzes data concerning suspensions and expulsions in D.C. public schools. The report finds that most suspensions targeted behavior that involved no weapons, no drugs, and no injury to other students, and that suspensions and expulsions were most common among students with special education needs and students living in wards with higher rates of child poverty.
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2013 Juvenile Justice Reform Legislation: House Bill 242, JustGeorgia Summary
Tags: Georgia | Family and Youth Involvement | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Youth in the Adult System | Court Decisions and Related Documents | Legislation | Member Publications
JustGeorgia provides a detailed summary of the changes to Georgia's juvenile code enacted through H.B. 242.
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Statement by Youth of Color on School Safety and Gun Violence in America; Youth Justice Coalition
Tags: California | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Youth of color make recommendations on school safety and gun violence.
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Cops in Schools: a History Lesson (Op Ed)
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
An op-ed from NJJN member Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance on the drawbacks to putting cops in schools -- especially without training, a job description, or an MOU governing the limits of their authority.
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Adult Decisions: Connecticut Rethinks Student Arrests
Tags: Connecticut | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Member Publications
Several Connecticut towns have dramatically reduced arrests in schools without compromising safety, a report by the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance finds. Profiles three Connecticut towns working to end the overuse of arrest in their schools.
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Reclaiming Students: the Educational and Economic Costs of Exclusionary Discipline in Washington State
Tags: Washington | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Member Publications
This report focuses on the effects of exclusionary discipline in Washington State.
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Shifting Away From Incarceration: Fiscal Realignment Strategies to End the Mass Incarceration of Youth in the United States
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Presentations | Member Publications
An overview of realignment trends in the U.S. that are reducing the number of youth who are incarcerated. Special focus on Redeploy Illinois, as well as the Pathways to Desistance research showing better outcomes for youth kept in their homes.
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Breaking Rules, Breaking Budgets: Cost of Exclusionary Discipline in 11 Texas School Districts
Tags: Texas | Fiscal Issues and Funding | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Member Publications
In this report, Texas Appleseed details the cost of the current disciplinary procedures in 11 school districts and recommends strategies for cost-effective school discipline.
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Girls' Experiences in the Texas Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Texas | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Member Publications
In this report by Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, a survey of girls at one Texas juvenile correctional facility shows there is a great likelihood that many traumatized girls in the Texas juvenile justice system are being re-traumatized due to current policies and procedures.
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Cost-Saving & Public Safety-Driven Strategies for Texas’ Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Educational Primer
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition created an educational primer that outlines six criminal and juvenile justice areas in need of improvement, with realistic reform solutions in each area.
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Washington Judicial Colloquies Project: a Guide for Improving Communication and Understanding in Court.
Tags: Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Reports | Member Publications
This report provides guidance on how to consistently use developmentally-appropriate language in court that youth can understand.
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What's Really Up Doc?: A Call for Reform of the Office of Juvenile Justice
Tags: Louisiana | General System Reform | Member Publications
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children and the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, NJJN members, present a report on the current state of Louisiana's juvenile justice system and recommendations for its improvement.
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Blueprint for Kentucky's Children: Ending the Use of Incarceration for Status Offenses in Kentucky
Tags: Kentucky | Status Offenses | Reports | Member Publications
A new report from Kentucky Advocates for Youth shows that community alternatives are cheaper for the state and better for public safety.
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SHIFTING AWAY FROM INCARCERATION: Fiscal Realignment Strategies to End the Mass Incarceration of Youth in the United States, Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Member Publications
This paper documents the national shift from away from juvenile incarceration to community alternatives to confinement. Focuses on Redeploy Illinois but documents similar reforms across the U.S. Also highlights U.S. longitudinal research documenting better outcomes for youth treated in community alternatives rather than removed from their homes.
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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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The Case for Modifying Juvenile Sex Offender Registry Requirements in Delaware
Tags: Delaware | Sex Offender Registries | Member Publications
Reviews research on what works with juvenile sex offenders and Delaware law governing sex offenses, and argues that registration requirements be modified under H.B. 137.
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Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: Sealing Your Child's Juvenile Records
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Member Publications
Provides detailed information on what is in your child's juvenile records as well as how to seal those records.
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Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: The Juvenile Court Process
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Member Publications
Explains the step-by-step process of the juvenile court system, including the purpose of each judicial hearing.
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Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: What Can I Expect When My Child is Locked Up
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Member Publications
Provides information for parents of children who have just entered the juvenile justice system, including what to expect and how it will effect schooling.
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Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: When Can I Visit My Child
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Member Publications
Explains the type of facilities in which children are detained as well as when parents can visit their children.
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How to Catch Lightning in a Bottle: The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance's First 10 Years, Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance
Tags: Connecticut | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
Report chronicling the incredible achievements of the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance's first ten years, including their victorious Raise the Age campaign.
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A Failing System Reminiscent of Tallulah, Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children
Tags: Louisiana | Family and Youth Involvement | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Member Publications
Report charging that the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice has not effectively implemented the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (Act 1225), and that its attempt to adopt the "Missouri Model" has not worked because it has done so in piecemeal fashion, rather than embracing model wholesale. The report outlines key areas in which the state of Louisiana has failed to follow through on its plan to implement the Missouri Model: "lack of real family involvement; lack of high caliber; staff involvement; lack of productive youth interaction, placement, and services; lack of therapeutic, safe and consistent settings; and lack of transparency." The report includes recommendations for reform.
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Reclaiming Futures in Kentucky: Applying a Proven Framework for an Effective Community and Judicial Response to Status Offenses and Other Complex Needs of Youth in Rural and Urban Settings, Kentucky Youth Advocates
Tags: Kentucky | Status Offenses | Reports | Member Publications
Report modifying the Reclaiming Futures framework to identify the key decision points for youth charged with a status offense or at risk of such a charge. The framework consists of six stages that direct how the juvenile justice system, other youth serving agencies and organizations, and the community can work together to reduce the secure detention of youth charged with status offenses and work toward positive outcomes for these youth and their families.
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Reducing the Use of Incarceration for Status Offenders in Kentucky, Kentucky Youth Advocates
Tags: Kentucky | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Status Offenses | Reports | Member Publications
Updated issue brief including statistics on youth charged with status offenses in Kentucky and criticizing the use of incarceration for youth who commit status offenses because of its ineffectiveness and expense. The brief also includes examples of effective approaches being used in Kentucky.
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Juvenile Justice Excerpt from 2009 Kentucky KIDS COUNT, Kentucky Youth Advocates
Tags: Kentucky | Crime Data and Statistics | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
Excerpt from the Annie E. Casey Foundations annual Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book with statistics of youth charged with offenses, youth in the juvenile justice system, and youth under Department of Juvenile Justice supervision in Kentucky.
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Opportunities Lost: Racial Disparities in Juvenile Justice in Kentucky and Identified Needs for System Change, Kentucky Youth Advocates
Tags: Kentucky | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports | Member Publications
Issue brief reviewing Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) in Kentucky at various stages of the juvenile justice process, discussing current efforts to reduce DMC, and offering recommendations to reduce disparities.
