This guidebook from National Conference of State Legislatures provides information on current youth justice policy at the federal and state level exploring a range of youth justice policy areas rom age of juvenile court jurisdiction and transfer into adult court to diversion and probation. From the introduction: “Today, a sound body of youth justice law…
This guide is meant to help young people in New York understand the collateral consequences to juvenile court involvement and adjudications, and what they can do to overcome those consequences. Written in youth-friendly language, this guide walks through how young people should talk about their juvenile court record and the impact of their record on…
The Health and Reentry Project highlights promising Medicaid policy changes that promote continuity of care for young people returning to their communities following incarceration. The changes will support reentry for young people who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program by introducing them to services that would start 30 days before release…
This 2024 Impact report from Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) focuses on the organization’s accomplishments, including the opening of CURYJ’s Youth Power Zone, a physical space that provides community-led, community-owned direct-service programming, advocacy and culturally-rooted healing. CURYJ also highlights the acquisition of a second physical space for community peace, healing, and resilience. Further,…
This paper is part of the Series on Learning from Civil Rights Lawsuits from the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse and focuses on parole review procedures for individuals serving long sentences for crimes committed under age 18, discusses constitutional dimensions of parole review for this group, and proposes model policies supporting a meaningful opportunities for release. From the Executive Summary: “In recent years, people serving…
From the introduction: “Imagine you’re a student with a disability that impacts how you interact with others and process situations. In an instant, that disability may be criminalized, and you could find yourself thrust into a juvenile justice system that offers little support and few education resources. This scenario is all too common. Thousands of…
This guide is meant to help young people in Oregon understand the collateral consequences to juvenile court involvement and adjudications, and what they can do to overcome those consequences. Written in youth-friendly language, this guide walks through how young people should talk about their juvenile court record, the impact of their record on school, jobs,…
From the introduction: “This paper shares the story behind the successful launch of a specialized correctional unit for emerging adults by three of the people closest and most integral to the experience. It is offered as a guide for jurisdictions that are interested in developing similar programs. It is important to note that this report…
From the conclusion: “Washington, DC has severe racial disparities in its justice-involved population. That should alarm local leadership and its residents. These disparities are rooted in policing practices that target communities of color, a lack of investment and opportunity in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and an overly punitive sentencing, parole, and corrections system. The current system…
The Columbia University Justice Lab released a report spotlighting New York City’s Close to Home initiative, an effort that reduced the rate of youth sent to state-operated prisons in New York City. “This case study describes the development of the Close to Home (C2H) initiative, beginning with a review of what the system looked like…
The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth issued Trial Defense Guidelines for representing youth facing a possible life sentence. “The objective of these guidelines is to set forth a national standard of practice to ensure zealous, constitutionally effective representation for all juveniles facing a possible life sentence (“juvenile life”) consistent with the United States…
On August 22, 2012, the DOJ released its investigation findings into the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility in Indiana. The investigation finds that “Pendleton exposes incarcerated youth to significant harm in violation of their constitutional and federal statutory rights. Pendleton fails to take reasonable steps to prevent youth from committing suicide, fails to provide reasonably safe…
On December 12, 2010, the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Los Angeles County and the United States regarding the Los Angeles County Probation Camps was amended a second time. The amended MOA recognizes that the County implemented significant reforms and achieved substantial compliance with all but four paragraphs of the MOA, and thus extends the…
From the introduction: “This research brief will summarize findings on what is known about substance abuse treatment as it relates to public safety and the use of incarceration. Along with conducting a brief literature review, the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) has compared state data on drug treatment admissions to incarceration rates. While no single solution…
From the introduction: “This brief tells the story of how the four Models for Change states—Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, and Washington—are already moving to reform and reshape their own state juvenile justice systems. These states have demonstrated strong leadership in juvenile justice policy, value collaboration and engagement, and because of their efforts, have changed the political…
From the introduction: “In this policy brief, we will focus more precisely on the question of who has been most affected by the growth of the corrections system, and illustrate how the impact of the decision to fund the prisons over schools has been concentrated among Americans with little education. The improved high school completion…
