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The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY) and the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) are partnering to strengthen connections between youth service providers and juvenile justice advocates.
The National Collaboration for Youth and National Juvenile Justice Network are producing a series of policy briefs on topics of interest to both youth service providers and juvenile justice advocates.
Engaging Young People in Juvenile Justice Reform
Policy Brief No. 4, May 2007
Young people are the population most directly affected by the juvenile justice system and yet all too frequently those who aim to improve the system fail to involve young people meaningfully in the process. The benefits to involving young people – both system-involved and not - are great, although involving youth successfully requires planning and sometimes challenging work.
This brief raises issues that can be considered when embarking on an effort to incorporate youth in juvenile justice reform efforts. It addresses the challenges involved in recruiting and retaining young people and highlights various community-based and governmental organizations that empower youth to advocate for, and provide significant input into, system reform. The resource list at the end of the brief provides sources of guidance for developing effective programs.
To download the brief in PDF format, click here.
Human Rights as a Catalyst for Juvenile Justice Reform
Policy Brief No. 3, December 2006
This brief provides juvenile justice and youth advocates with a basic primer on international law as it relates to the treatment of youth in conflict with the law and includes examples of how juvenile justice advocates have been and can continue to use international law for reform efforts in the U.S. To download the brief in PDF format, click here.
Undocumented Immigrant Youth:
Guide for Advocates and Service Providers
Policy Brief No. 2, November 2006
This brief focuses on undocumented immigrant youth: foreign-born children living in the U.S. without authorization. These youth share similar disadvantages and insecurities, often lacking language fluency, cultural knowledge and access to resources. In order to provide consistent support and protection for these children, juvenile justice advocates, immigration advocates and youth serving agencies must all collaborate. Undocumented Immigrant Youth: Guide for Advocates and Service Providers aims to provide advocates and youth service agencies the background necessary for this collaboration. It outlines the risks and obstacles that undocumented immigrant youth face in both the immigration and juvenile justice systems. The brief also recommends policies and actions that immigration advocates, youth advocates, and service providers could adopt to improve the safety and well-being of immigrant youth. To download the brief in PDF format, click here.
Service Coordination Strengthens Youth Reentry
Policy Brief No. 1, May 2006
This brief focuses on the importance of service coordination among public and private agencies to provide an aftercare or reentry system that addresses the multiple needs of incarcerated youth. It explores federal and state policy initiatives to encourage coordination, addresses the issue of information sharing and juvenile confidentiality, and highlights local programs that are notable for their public and private partnerships. To download the brief in PDF format, click here.
Vulnerable youth and families consistently transition between various publicly funded systems, from child welfare, community mental health, family support, special education and juvenile justice systems. Challenges abound, and youth frequently fail to receive the level of care and support they need. Moreover, a healthy youth development philosophy and approach should be applied to programming for all youth, regardless of the system in which they may find themselves. This initiative believes that the existing silos between programs, funding, and, in particular, advocacy, are counterproductive to the welfare of children and aims to break down those barriers.
Click here to view a document detailing advocacy work in 12 states that affiliates and networks might find relevant to their own efforts. NJJN groups are currently advocating for reforms such as:
The National Collaboration for Youth and the National Juvenile Justice Network hope that you will participate in this project by engaging local affiliates and encouraging them to participate in youth justice advocacy on the local level. By joining the voices of youth development, child welfare and juvenile justice advocates, all of our work to help young people will be improved.
The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN), which is hosted by the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, comprises 26 state organizations and coalitions that work for fair, equitable and developmentally appropriate adjudication and treatment for all children, youth and families involved in the juvenile justice system. For more information, visit www.njjn.org.
Initiatives
