Detention
This is a sample “youth report to the court” document (created by a Juvenile Court Judge in Iowa), for youth who are currently under the juvenile court jurisdiction. This report is provided to young people when they appear in court, asking if they would like the space to share pertinent information and ask questions of…
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…
“The right to have your day in court is foundational to the U.S. criminal legal system. Yet, many noncitizens in immigration detention facing criminal charges are denied this right when ICE routinely fails to produce immigration detainees to criminal court to resolve charges. In immigration proceedings, immigration judges regularly use those unresolved charges to detain…
This report highlights D.C. transfer laws and discusses the current U.S. Attorney’s argument that the District of Columbia should amend its law to transfer more young people to to adult court. The report compares D.C.’s transfer law to transfer laws across the country and highlights decades of research that has concluded transfer laws do not…
The Third District Court of Appeals in Florida considered a writ of Habeas Corpus filed by petitioners India Comer and Shantearia Gaines, challenging their detention in an adult correctional center. The Court of Appeals granted the petition and issued the writ, ordering Ms. Comer and Ms. Gaines to be moved to the juvenile detention center.…
The United States District Court in the Eastern District of California granted a preliminary injunction in immigration removal proceedings for minor T.M., ordering her release. The District Court offered the following language in support: “Petitioner R.D.T.M. is a noncitizen who entered the United States in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor. After entry, she was briefly…
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…
This memorandum from the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia discusses the contemporary research and literature on electronic monitoring and its impacts on school attendance, family, and employment. The memorandum also discusses the real-world practicalities that make it difficult for youth to comply with the restrictive rules that often accompany electronic monitoring orders. From the memorandum: “The literature regarding the electronic monitoring of youth with disabilities has not yet been fully synthesized to…
From the conclusion” “Conclusion There is no question that the statistical picture of special education is bleak. But after its meeting of stakeholders, interviews with experts, and review of the research, NCD believes that IDEA and other related disability laws, with improved enforcement, can and should benefit at-risk students who are properly referred and served.…
The Sentencing Project released a report on adolescent gun possession cases, highlighting the harms of punishment and calling for comprehensive community-based initiatives to reduce gun violence. This report offers research on the reasons why youth carry guns, ranging from peer influence to past experiences of trauma and walks through how juvenile court systems typically respond…
From the introduction: “Youth justice advocates, including lawyers, organizers, and other youth and adult movement builders, want to replace the current damaging, discriminatory, and ineffective juvenile and criminal legal systems1 with better approaches. We envision approaches that support children, help them f lourish, and contribute to a safe, equitable, and healthy community. How do we…
From the abstract: “People who require gynecological and obstetric care and who are detained by U.S. federal immigration authorities face unique challenges. This article examines how the current legal and administrative landscape fails to hold those responsible for providing healthcare accountable, effectively blocking access to gynecological care, and, assuming no immediate abolition of immigrant detention…
