During the month of October, allies throughout the country come together to engage their communities on youth justice issues, particularly the harmful impact of prosecuting children in the adult criminal justice system.  

Youth Justice Awareness Month (YJAM) is an opportunity for families, youth, and allies to host community-led actions and events that expose the real-life consequences of children being processed in adult court and placed in adult jails and prisons. With events happening throughout the country, YJAM is not only a time to raise awareness but also a time to build collective action, to strengthen relationships with other advocates, and to join local advocacy campaigns working to create policy changes.

Every year in the U.S. an estimated 250,000 youth are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults. These young people are our friends, siblings, sons and daughters. Each year, we build momentum to end the criminalization of our youth and the devastating long-term consequences they must face every day.

Will you join us in taking a stand for youth justice?  In past years, YJAM events have included:

• 5K Run/Walk
• Film Screenings
• Art Exhibits
• Poetry Slams
• Community Service Days
• Social Media campaigns
• Teach-In Days  

The Campaign for Youth Justice plans to host several calls with those interested in organizing events in their state. If you would like to participate in these calls, please contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Upcoming calls:

• July 30th - Hosting a 5K Run/Walk  
• August 5th - FUNdraising for YJAM
• August 19th - Media Planning for YJAM

STAY CONNECTED:

For general questions about YJAM or if you would like to host, organize or participate in a YJAM event, please contact CFYJ Field Organizer Angella Bellota: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

For media inquiries, please contact CFYJ Communications & Media Director Aprill Turner: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   

Please visit our YJAM page to learn about the history of YJAM and for a roundup of upcoming events! 

•   youth in jail are 19 times more likely to commit suicide than youth in the general population;   

• youth are 36 times more likely to commit suicide in an adult jail than in a juvenile detention facility; and

•   to “protect” the youth in adult facilities, some jails and prisons keep youth in solitary isolation for upwards of 23 hours a day.

On April 17, committee members of Judiciary Subcommittee B convened and passed an amended version of HB 217 which is now scheduled to go to the Appropriations Committee. The language for the updated bill can be found, here.

•  B1 and B2 felonies committed by 15 year olds would be subject to prosecutorial discretion; and
• All other felonies (C – E classifications) committed by 15 year olds will be sent to a study committee of Judiciary B Subcommittee to determine how often a prosecutor’s request for transfer is denied by the judiciary. 

By Angella Bellota

When legislators introduced HB 217 last week at the North Carolina General Assembly, your quick response to stand in solidarity with North Carolina youth and families slowed down the bill!

HB 217, would throw children as young as 13 into the adult criminal justice system and remove judicial oversight. If this bill were to pass, it would give prosecutors complete discretion over the future of NC children and strip juvenile court judges’ of their decision making power – the only neutral and unbiased decision maker in transfer cases.

Within a matter of days, here is what YOU were able to accomplish:

In less than two days, over 400 of you signed the petition started by NC youth leaders calling a stop to HB 217. This means that each of the fourteen members on the committee received over 400 emails urging them to oppose section 7, of HB 217.

Along with your calls and direct messages to friends, family and networks we not only flooded their phone lines but also their inboxes! Youth leaders also took action through social media, and the word to attend the hearing spread like wildfire. On the morning of the hearing, you were able to pack the room!

NC allies received an overwhelming amount of support from youth, students, advocates, faith leaders, attorneys and judges. Your presence is making it clear -- Our communities will not stand by and allow ineffective proposals to further criminalize youth!

The fight is not over!

We can expect the committee to most likely reconvene on Wednesday, April 3rd. We were informed that the committee will reconvene once the NC Advocates for Justice and others have a chance to meet with representatives from the Conference of District Attorneys the first week of April.

North Carolina allies are asking everyone to continue to put pressure on the decision makers involved on this bill. The primary sponsor, Rep. Stam has requested feedback and comments, and below you will find ways to continue to have your voice heard:

·         Each time someone signs the petition, bit.ly/NOHB217 the committee members receive a message urging them to oppose HB 217. If you have already signed, please take the next 30 seconds to share it through email and on social media! Help NC reach 500 signatures!

Join several other organizations sending in a formal letter opposing HB 217. If you are interested and/or need assistance drafting a letter, contact: Angella Bellota, Field Organizer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Make plans to attend the hearing next week. We will continue to share details with you as soon as we get them.

Are you interested in testifying? We can help! Contact Angella Bellota, Field Organizer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

We are excited to be a partner in North Carolina. Join us in showing your support by sharing this alert with your networks!

The Campaign for Youth Justice is excited to welcome two new senior staff members who have recently joined us this January. Aprill O. Turner, originally from Clearwater, Florida, will be the new Communications Director while Carmen Daugherty, native of Louisville Kentucky, will be the new Policy Director.

Our new Communications Director, Aprill is a Public Relations professional with more than twelve years of experience working with non-profit and corporate clients, as well as elected officials. Prior to coming to the Campaign for Youth Justice, Aprill has been a Communications Consultant for the National Association of Black Journalists, Senior Account Executive at CooperKatz Public Relations in New York City, as well as planned and conducted media outreach initiatives for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights. In addition, Aprill has worked on Capitol Hill in several media capacities as well as leading media strategy for several local, Congressional and Senatorial campaigns. Aprill obtained her Bachelor's degree in Legal Communications from Howard University and a Master's degree in Political Communication and Fundraising from The George Washington University. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Washington Association of Black Journalists.

As the new Communications Director, Aprill wishes to increase the exposure of the Campaign for Youth Justice in the organization’s target states as well as at the federal level. She was drawn to the Campaign by their clear focus on juvenile justice issues and wishes to spread that message further and wider.

Prior to joining the Campaign, Carmen, our new Policy Director, served as Deputy Director and staff attorney for Advocates for Justice and Education, a DC based non-profit, formed to educate parents, youth, and the community about the laws governing public education, specifically for children with special needs. In 2008, Carmen was appointed to the D.C. Mayor's Juvenile Justice Advisory Group where she works with city stakeholders to provide recommendations on district compliance with the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act. She also co-chairs the American Bar Association section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, Public Education Committee which seeks to protect and advance the right of equal access and opportunity to public education for all people. Carmen received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College and her Juris Doctor from Tulane University School of Law.

As the Campaign’s Policy Director, Carmen assists both state based organizations and national partners in developing policy goals related to criminal justice reform. Carmen aspires to keep state level policy makers well informed about the policy options available to ensure that the long term outcome of legislation is beneficial rather than detrimental to the youth.

Both Aprill and Carmen are excited to be joining the Campaign’s efforts to raising awareness about youth incarceration in the adult criminal justice system!

The National Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC) is pleased to announce a new web resource “Promote Safe Communities” available at: http://www.promotesafecommunities.org/.  The National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC) is a collaborative array of youth- and family- serving, social justice, law enforcement, corrections, and faith-based organizations, working to ensure healthy families, build strong communities and improve public safety by promoting fair and effective policies, practices and programs for youth involved or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

The website features:

• Recommendations to the Vice President’s Task Force & Congress in response to the Newtown tragedy
• Resources on School Safety, Mental & Behavioral Health, Violence Prevention, Intervention, and Healing
• Articles, opeds and press statements
• Contacts for experts and organizations 

Please post a link to your website in the comments field, and check the website often for action alerts, news updates, and upcoming meeting notices to stay involved with the work of the NJJDPC!

We appreciate your sharing this new resource with your networks!

As a member of the National Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC), we participated in drafting a statement and recommendations for the Congress and the Administration in response to the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

The tragic December 14th shootings in Newtown, Connecticut shook our nation’s confidence in its ability to prevent future violence and keep our children and our communities safe. While the Newtown incident was horrifying and shocking, it represents a small portion of the violence experienced by America’s youth. Tragedies like Newtown are exceedingly rare, but invite us to remember that in far too many communities, violence is common. As lawmakers discuss potential solutions to keep our communities and our children safer, including limits to the widespread accessibility of firearms, both illegal and legal, in the United States, we offer the expertise of the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC) and provide recommendations for a comprehensive approach to reduce violence and keep children and communities safe.

We hope that Congress and the Administration will utilize these recommendations in addressing potential policies to prevent these tragedies from occurring in the future.