In 2019, legislators across the country introduced over two hundred bills impacting youth prosecuted as adults. The Campaign for Youth Justice started tracking and publishing these bills in weekly updates archived here. The bills ranged from positive legislation to raise the age to eighteen in Michigan to negative legislation to lower the minimum age of mandatory transfer for certain offenses in Indiana.   Overall, youth, families, advocates, and legislative champions successfully passed a number of bills that will keep youth out of adult courts, jails and prisons.

On Thursday, July 25, 2019, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing titled “Examining State and Federal Recommendations for Enhancing School Safety Against Targeted Violence.”  Witnesses included Max Schachter, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Safe Schools for Alex; Tom Hoyer, Treasurer with Stand with Parkland - The National Association of Families for Safe Schools; The Honorable Bob Gualtieri, Chair of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission; Sheriff of Pinellas County, Florida; and Deborah Temkin, PH.D.,Senior Program Area Director, Education Child Trends.

Last week, The Campaign for Youth Justice hosted a private viewing followed by a panel discussion of the Netflix Original series, “When They See Us”, Part IV. The series, produced by Ava DuVernay, is nothing short of a moving portrayal of the injustices that young people of color face regularly in the justice system. The series of four parts tells the story of the Central Park Five, the five boys who were unjustly incarcerated for raping and attempting to murder a woman in Central Park.

On July 16th, 2019, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing to discuss women and girls in the criminal justice system. When discussing prison reform, the topic is usually centered around the experiences of  men. Unfortunately, we rarely hear from the women and girls who are incarcerated. At the hearing, formerly incarcerated women described their personal experiences in the system. Theses horrific accounts included abuse, lack of privacy, and harassment, among other things.

New York’s Raise the Age law has been in effect for 16-year-olds for over 9 months now (it goes into effect for 17-year-olds on October 1 of this year).  The results are (mostly) good, and in line with what we have seen in other states.

For example, in New York City, arrests of 16-year-olds, especially for misdemeanors such as “petit larceny, criminal possession of marijuana 5, assault 3, theft of services, criminal trespass 2 and 3, and criminal possession of a weapon 4” have dropped significantly. And facilities that were anticipated to hold large numbers of children are not even close to full.  According to one recent report: “a total of 171 beds are ready and waiting for youthful offenders but less than 12 percent have been filled.”

In time for summer reading, The Campaign for Youth Justice is proud to present its Summer Reading list. The lists consist of classics such as "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison to "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, which will be coming out as a feature film in early 2020.

Whether planning to hit the beach this summer or lounge by the pool, please ensure the Campaign for Youth Justice's Summer Reading list makes your packing essentials, and help support authors committed to writing about and raising awareness about ending the practice of prosecuting, sentencing, and incarcerating youth under the age of 18 in the adult criminal justice system.

Additionally, please support our CFYJ bookstore on Amazon Prime Day. You can make a difference while you shop Amazon Prime Day deals on July 15 & 16  to add these insightful books from our recommended summer reading list. Shop here.

As the United States approaches its 243rd Independence Day, one reflects on who in our country is entitled to the freedoms of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that are embedded into our Declaration of Independence?  Are we all truly seen as equals entitled to these unalienable rights? From the inception of U.S. Independence Day, it has been clear that only some Americans are granted such privileges. From the U.S. Constitution’s consideration of slaves to be 3/5 of a person, and the 13th amendment permitting enslavement for the incarcerated, it is clear that our founding fathers didn’t grant everyone freedom.

Today, June 26, is the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Here in the U.S., survivors of torture from all over the world have sought asylum and received support and care from groups like the Center for Victims of Torture. The U.S. government even issued a statement today in which Secretary of State Pompeo, with what one presumes is a straight face, asserted: 

“The United States is unambiguous. We never conduct torture, period, full stop.”

By Marion Humphrey, Jr.

On Juneteeth, June 19, 2019, the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on H.R. 40, an act to create a commission to study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans.

As introduced in the The Color of Youth Transferred to the Adult Criminal Justice System: Policy & Practice Recommendations, in the United States, “the vestiges of slavery are embedded in the criminal justice system and codified in the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Summer is here and CFYJ has a new class of summer fellows! Our 2019 fellow class represents diverse backgrounds from all over the country and have come to Washington this summer with one goal-- to help advance justice for young people. Learn more about their backgrounds and aspirations.  

Pictured left to right: Ashni, Ashley, Francine, and Marion