Center on Youth Justice

CYJ’s work addresses several juvenile justice system issues, including

• Status Offender System Reform: Status offenders—youth who may be chronically disobedient but who have not committed any crime—are often referred to juvenile court and subject to the same punitive interventions as youth charged with criminal activity. CYJ’s Models for Change work is helping officials in Louisiana and Washington State build more effective responses for these youth.
• Detention Reform: CYJ is working with city and upstate officials to implement an objective risk assessment tool and create community-based alternatives to detention for youth who do not pose a high risk of failing to appear for trial or re-offending before trial.
• Placement Reform: Despite the fact that the juvenile justice system was originally created to rehabilitate and nurture youth, many placement facilities are more punitive than therapeutic. CYJ is working with Governor David Paterson’s Task Force on Transforming New York State’s Juvenile Justice System to identify strengths and areas for improvement in the state’s post-sentencing practices.
• Developing and Sharing Juvenile Justice System Data: Juvenile justice systems are often fragmented across several agencies with insufficient data-sharing capacity and collaboration. CYJ is helping the New York State Task Force on Juvenile Justice coordinate different data sources so that officials can communicate better, learn from each other, and work together to promote progress.

Why We Do This Work

Juvenile justice systems were developed to help young offenders overcome the problems that led to delinquent behavior and avoid further conflict with the law. Many of these systems, however, fail to successfully rehabilitate young offenders. They often focus on punishment instead of treatment, expose youth to inhumane conditions that are unsuitable to their healthy development, and disproportionately subject youth of color to these injustices. CYJ combines research, planning, and technical assistance with expertise to help policymakers and practitioners improve juvenile systems for youth, families, and communities.

For more information about the Center on Youth Justice, contact the center coordinator, Elizabeth Rossi.