“There is no such thing as other people’s children, we all have a responsibility.” --David Shapiro, CEO of MENTOR The National Mentoring Partnership

Aprill O. Turner, CFYJ Communications Director

More than 5 million children, or one in 14, in the U.S. have had a parent in a state or federal prison at some point in their lives, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and children of color are much more likely to have a parent in prison. One in nine African-American children had a parent behind bars (2015). Since we all know that it takes a village to raise a child, we can all ask ourselves the question, what can I do to help?

By. David T. Crosby, Communications Associate

The Washington Post held a live discussion event where key elected officials and advocates came to discuss the future of the First Step Act. The widely discussed bipartisan criminal justice reform bill, with its future in question.was discussed by heavy-hitters trying to get a vote on this bill before the end of session.  Key speakers at this event included: Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Mike Lee (R-UT), Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA); Larry Leiser, President of the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys; Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections John Wetzel; and Rep. Sheryl Delozier, a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Larry Leiser was the only dissenter at the event--arguing that First Step would diminish public safety, a position that was challenged by the rest of the panelists. 

December 10 marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the foundational document of the post-World War II human rights system. Coming in December, it represents a chance to reflect on how human rights were respected (or not) during the course of the year.

This year, it is safe to say, has not been a good one for human rights, either in the United States or worldwide. For children and youth in particular, it has been a rough year.

By Kelbie Kennedy, Policy Counsel, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, National Congress of American Indians

During Native American Heritage Month we recognize the diverse cultures, languages, histories, and traditions of all 573 American Indian and Alaska Native governments in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2017 over 6.8 million people identified as American Indian or Alaska Native and one in every three is under the age of 18. With such a young population, federal laws surrounding juvenile justice have a large impact on tribal youth who are disproportionally represented in the system.

This week as families gather to break bread, give thanks, and count their blessings—there are 45,000 children locked in secure facilities across this country who will be absent from their families’ tables. 4000 of them will be in adult jails; at least one as young as the tender age of ten.

By Rachel Marshall, CFYJ Federal Policy Counsel

The 2018 midterm elections have come to an end, and, while the outcomes of some races remain unknown, it is safe to say that the outcome for young people across the country was overwhelmingly positive. While most of the country was glued to the results in competitive U.S. House and Senate races, it was the state and local elections that that will make a huge difference in the lives of young people.

Starting with the top state executive, twenty states will welcome new governors in 2019. One of those new governors includes Tony Evers in Wisconsin. Governor-Elect Evers will be tasked with overseeing the closure of two juvenile prisons. Early in 2018, current Governor Scott Walker announced a plan to overhaul Wisconsin’s juvenile corrections and treatment system, and in March, state lawmakers passed a bill that requires that two juvenile facilities, Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, to close by January 2021. Both facilities have been subject to investigations and lawsuits over allegations of excessive use of force, abuse, and neglect. Governor-Elect Evers campaigned on criminal justice reform, and his Lieutenant Governor-Elect, Mandela Barnes, showed a strong commitment to juvenile justice reform during his time in the Wisconsin General Assembly. While it is not often the case that a new governor will see through the projects of the past administration, this shift is likely to greatly benefit youth in the justice system (and hopefully pave the way for Wisconsin to FINALLY join 46 other states in raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18).

Brian Evans, CFYJ State Campaign Director

With the theme #VoteYouthJustice – anticipating the election that is now less than a week away – this year’s Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM) featured events and activities all across the country.  

Every October is Youth Justice Action Month, and this year, on the very first day, New York’s “Raise the Age” law went into effect for 16-year-olds, who are now no longer automatically tried as adults. All children under 18 were also removed from Rikers Island

By Katie Rankin, CFYJ Policy and Research Legal Fellow

Halloween is one of those quintessential holidays of childhood--when we still allow children to be children, engaging in fantasy play, and drumming up some harmless, time-tested tricks. We now learn--that even trick-or-treating is available to only some of our children; for children of color, the tricks on them - and it’s not funny. Recently, news stories have highlighted several  municipalities in Virginia whose “Halloween Rules” make the holiday anything but childlike. The law for each locality differs, but the overriding feature establishes age limits and a curfew for the night. These Virginia towns are not alone - cities across the country have similar ordinances that govern trick-or-treating on Halloween. The laws are not new; Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Virginia created their laws in 1968 and 1970, respectively. Portsmouth had a particularly bad Halloween in 1967 when a 14-year-old was stabbed and a high amount of vandalism occurred. In response to this, members of the community petitioned the city to create the age and time limit Halloween law that remains on the books today.

By Rebecca Burney, Esq., Equal Justice Works Fellow, Rights4Girls and Katie Rankin, CFYJ Research and Policy Legal Fellow

In celebration of Girls’ Justice Day, we encourage you to uplift the voices of our most marginalized young women and girls. October marks both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Youth Justice Action Month, so it is only fitting that we focus on the experiences of girls in the juvenile justice system and the link between abuse and system-involvement.  However, all of our justice reform efforts must center the opinions of justice-involved girls who are the experts on their lived experiences.  We must listen to them.