Executive Summary – Revolutionizing Probation from Punishment to Community-Led Safety, Part I

The Gault Center and Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout (YEAH Philly) released Part I of our Revolutionizing Probation series as part of our Juvenile Probation Accountability Coalition. Part I introduces a framework to shift narratives and practices around juvenile probation to move away from punishment and toward possibility for all youth. This executive summary highlights youth perspectives on juvenile probation, finding that young people are experiencing probation as surveillance, control, and punishment, negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing. In addition, this executive summary offers a visual timeline that highlights the historical lineage of probation as a form of racialized social control to challenge dominant narratives that probation is a benign act of benevolence on behalf of youth. Part II of this report will be released in summer 2026, highlighting concrete steps to transform local probation practices and policies and spotlighting examples of successful practices already underway.

The full report of Part I is available here.

In addition, please check out this article covering our report