Community Programs
From the resource by Case Western Reserve University Schubert Center for Child Studies: “This document offers an overview of the most current and reliable national and Ohio-specific guidance and resources to support practitioners and providers working with immigrant children. It is organized in the following child and youth-specific settings: Each section provides practical tools, current…
Compiles key takeaways and resources on building narrative strategies to transform juvenile probation, offered during a webinar on Revolutionizing Probation from Punishment to Community-Led Safety, Part I.
“In New York State, children as young as thirteen can be processed as adults and sentenced to mandatory minimum sentences. Mandatory minimum sentences require judges to sentence the defendant to a statutorily set minimum term of imprisonment. Practitioners, judges, and researchers question the efficacy of mandatory minimum sentences, finding that they are ineffective at deterring…
On March 26, 2026, the Gault Center & Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout (YEAH Philly) hosted a webinar on Revolutionizing Probation from Punishment to Community-Led Safety. This webinar focused on shifting narratives around juvenile probation—to challenge the dominant rhetoric that probation is an act of benevolence that keeps youth and communities safe and to bring…
On March 26, 2026, the Gault and Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout (YEAH Philly) co-hosted a webinar on Revolutionizing Probation from Punishment to Community-Led Safety. This resource includes PowerPoint presentations from the Gault Center covering the history and youth experiences on juvenile probation, YEAH Philly highlighting meaningful community-based alternatives, and the Institute of Women & Ethnic…
Summarizes what young people are saying about juvenile probation and offers a visual timeline highlighting the historical lineage of probation as a form of racialized social control.
Examines young people’s experiences on juvenile probation and the racialized history of juvenile probation in our country.
The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform released a report spotlighting promising examples of credible messenger and intensive life-coaching programs to reach youth charged with serious offenses. “This brief argues that the next phase of youth justice reform must focus on intentionally and effectively serving HR2 youth. Doing so will require moving beyond strict replication…
This proposed draft of a legislative “findings and declarations” document for a youth detention and disposition reform bill in California affirms the legislature’s commitment to make placement in juvenile detention “the exception, not the rule.” The draft findings rely on research regarding the impact of detention on young people, racial justice, developmental science, and California…
“This Article reconceptualizes preventive justice—the public safety paradigm that seeks to prevent harm before it occurs. Scholars have long documented how cities have advanced this paradigm through largely punitive measures, notably variants of broken windows policing, which posit that aggressive misdemeanor enforcement deters more serious crime. Yet in the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd…
This report from Vera Institute for Justice provides examples of reforms from various states that are working to reduce the incarceration of girls in detention and long-term placement. “Over the last decade, as a direct result of focused efforts by youth advocates and a growing body of research on developmentally appropriate practices, many states have…
This resource from Lambda Legal and the American Bar Association Children’s Rights Litigation Committee gives attorneys an overview on how to approach client interviewing and relationship building in a respectful and trauma-informed way. The page discusses the importance of identity for young people’s well being and on their legal cases. It also reviews basic interview…
From the R Street Institute: “Juvenile crime has captured headlines and consumed policymaking conversations in recent months. In fact, say six out of 10 major city mayors say juvenile crime is a problem in their city. But despite the temptation to “get tough” on all children who run afoul of the law, the research is clear: Harsher punishments, trying youth…
The Gault Center released an update on the state of youth defense in Kansas, which centers the perspectives and experiences of young people impacted by the juvenile legal system, through a collaborative effort with Progeny, a youth-adult partnership in Kansas, TerraLuna Collaborative, a research consulting group, and Mulberry Art Gallery, which focuses on supporting emerging…
Former Secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Vinny Schiraldi, wrote this op-ed, discussing President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington D.C. and the District’s intentions to repeal lower the age for trying children as adults to 12 in the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The op-ed details Vinny’s reflections and observations during his…
Provides tangible opportunities probation officers have to support positive youth development equitably for all youth, regardless of immigration status and circumstances beyond a young person’s control.
A companion checklist for probation officers, walking through key considerations when working with noncitizen youth.
This school pushout assessment and campaign development guide is a companion tool to Dignity in Schools Campaign’s Model Code on Education and Dignity and Youth Participatory Action Research Project. This checklist tool provides a framework for individuals and groups working in schools to assess school policies and practices around discipline, safety, curriculum, logistics, staffing, and other processes to prevent young people from being pushed…
This report from the National Center for Youth Law examines the emerging policies across the United States that are likely to reverse the downward trend of youth incarceration rates.
From the Discussion: “This study illuminates pathways for future research to explore facility closures. Such research should investigate the impact of specific drivers supporting completed closures of youth facilities, including the combination of stated reasons to appeal to different audiences. Notably, we only found 1 paper in our scoping review that explores the strategies used…
From the Introduction: “Following a 2024 County Council request, the Pierce County Performance Audit Committee contracted with the CoLab for Community and Behavioral Health Policy at the University of Washington to conduct an audit of the county’s juvenile justice system against national and research best practice. The assessment is intended to guide future county investments…
From the abstract: “Hundreds of thousands of children are brought under the jurisdiction of delinquency courts every year in the United States. Despite the reality that most children engage in delinquent behavior during their adolescence, poor children, children of color, children with disabilities, and children who identify as LGBTQIA+ comprise a disproportionate number of those who become delinquency system-involved. These disparities exist…
Georgetown University Law Center Associate Professor Eduardo Ferrer penned this op-Ed on regarding the narrative that there is a “rise” in violent crime in D.C. This narrative is being used to justify regressive tough-on-crime policies that do not improve public safety. Professor Ferrer discusses the perception versus the reality of crime statistics and data, including…
