logobyline

Copy of Copy of Blue and Orange Casual Corporate Real Estate Professional Business Services LinkedIn Single Image Ad 1

Blog

An Appeal to End Trying Youth as Adults

Roger Ghatt and Samuel Wilkins Friday, 22 August 2014 Posted in 2014, Take Action Now

Protecting children is fundamental. Even youth who commit serious crimes deserve a chance at rehabilitation. The U.S. Supreme Court, the Centers for Disease Control and mental health experts stress the need for children, with their still-developing brains, impulsive nature, and increased vulnerability to negative influences, to be treated differently. Adult jails and prisons have insufficient educational opportunities, psychiatric services, vocational training, and other essential services in order to meet the needs of still developing youth.  Youth are also at an increased risk for sexual assault and suicide while in adult criminal justice facilities. That’s without mentioning the barriers to successfully reentering society like limited access to education, employment, housing, and democratic participation. Furthermore, studies overwhelmingly have shown that youth who do adult time are much more likely to reoffend, in comparison to those youth who are housed in the juvenile justice system or in their home communities. When youth are held accountable within a system that is age-appropriate and rehabilitative, research shows they generally outgrow their criminal behavior and become participating members of society. Are we really willing to define a teenager by his/her worst act and invest tens of thousands of dollars in making them a better criminal?

"Raise the Age" Victory in New Hampshire: More Kids Treated as Kids

John DeJoie Thursday, 21 August 2014 Posted in 2014, Across the Country, Campaigns

 By Guest Blogger, John DeJoie
NH Kids Count
NH CAN Coordinator/Policy Consultant 

Are 17 year olds really old enough to be sent to adult prisons? In NH, since 1995, the answer has been YES. Over the past decade, as states across the US have recognized that 17 year olds are still children, NH was unwilling to change. Since 2000, Representative David Bickford (R ) attempted to “Raise the Age” without much support, that is until this year. Following on the heels of a successful restoration of the CHINS (Children in Need of Service) statute and funding, the same group of advocates set their sights on modernizing the juvenile justice system in NH, including Raising the Age.

Rev. Laura Downton and CFYJ Fellows Discuss the Dangers of Solitary Confinement

Friday, 15 August 2014 Posted in 2014, Across the Country, Voices

On Wednesday, July 30, the fellows of Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) held their second Summer Institute session featuring guest speaker Reverend Laura Downton, of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT). Rev. Downton is the current Director of U.S. Prisons Policy & Programs at NRCAT, and she also serves on the Board of Directors for Grassroots Leadership and is a Provisional Elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. The CFYJ fellows were joined by interns from the Justice Policy Institute, Washington Peace Center, and students from American University, Georgetown University, and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who are current interns in Washington, DC.

Understanding the School to Prison Pipeline

Tuesday, 12 August 2014 Posted in 2014, Across the Country

CFYJ’s first Summer Institute session focused on the School to Prison Pipeline. Kaitlin Banner, a staff attorney at the Advancement Project, informed us about youth whose futures are being destroyed by a system that pushes them from the education system to the prison system. Additionally, she emphasized ways to dismantle this pipeline, and taught us essential tools to become true advocates for change.

Youth Justice Awareness Month 2014 is just around the corner!

Friday, 01 August 2014 Posted in 2014, Across the Country, Take Action Now, Voices

We are so excited for this year’s Youth Justice Awareness Month (YJAM)!

Every October, youth, families, and advocates from all over the nation come together to host YJAM events to expose the consequences of children being prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system and incarcerated in adult jails and prisons. Together, we build collective action to launch and support local campaigns that work towards fair, humane, and effective reform.

Valuing Family, Community and Youth: Reauthorize the JJDPA

Monday, 21 July 2014 Posted in 2014, Take Action Now

This post is part of the JJDPA Mattersblog, a project of the Act4JJ Campaign with help from SparkAction. The JJDPA, the nation's landmark juvenile justice law, turns 40 this September. Each month leading up to this anniversary, Act4JJ member organizations and allies will post blogs on issues related to the JJDPA.  To learn more and take action in support of JJDPA, visit the Act4JJ JJDPA MattersAction Center, powered by SparkAction.

Homeboy Industries on Capitol Hill

Friday, 11 July 2014 Posted in 2014, Across the Country, Voices

On July 1st, the Interfaith Criminal Justice Coalition held Lessons from the Field: Protecting Youth and Stopping the Cycle of Incarceration. The event focused on the importance of rehabilitation in the criminal justice system. The speaker was Father Greg Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, an organization that provides wraparound services for former gang members.Homeboy Industries is the biggest program of its kind in the world.

Senators Paul and Booker Envision Better Options for Youth, Congress Takes Concrete Steps for Change

Carmen Daugherty Thursday, 10 July 2014 Posted in 2014, Uncategorised

 

This week, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the REDEEM Act (The Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act) which addresses several problematic areas of America’s current criminal justice system.

JOY Campaign and Allies Raise Awareness on the Criminalization of DC Youth

Thursday, 03 July 2014 Posted in 2014, Across the Country, Campaigns, Voices

On Thursday, June 26, Judge Our Youth (JOY) Campaign advocates - Campaign for Youth Justice, DC Lawyers for Youth, and other allies, joined Black Youth Project 100, the DC chapter of the Black Youth Project, for a peaceful demonstration at the District's Central Detention Facility. The event focused on raising awareness of the criminalization of black youth in DC and is part of BYP’s larger campaign, the #CriminalizedLives Project, which seeks to collect stories from people that have been impacted by the criminal justice system, and specifically, the experiences of youth with law enforcement.

Latino Voices: The Impacts of Crime and Criminal Justice Policies on Latinos.

Jessica Sandoval Tuesday, 01 July 2014 Posted in 2014, Uncategorised

A new report shows that Latino voters support less incarceration and more rehabilitation. This week the Californians for Safety and Justice released a report, Latino Voices: The Impacts of Crime and Criminal Justice Policies on Latinos. The new report reveals that Latinos have surpassed whites to now make up the largest share of California’s population, yet are faced with unequal treatment at every stage of the justice system.

<<  36 37 38 39 40 [4142 43 44 45  >>