Nebraska’s new safe haven law, designed to protect newborns from abandonment, allows parents to cede control of troubled youth without fear of prosecution. The law has left the state in custody of an unanticipated number of teenagers (New York Times, 04 November 2008), revealing a need for individualized, community-based services that respond to youth and families in crisis. Changing the Status Quo for Status Offenders, a 2004 report from Vera’s Center on Youth Justice (CYJ), highlights New York State’s efforts to provide similar services to children reported for chronic misbehavior. CYJ plans to release a follow-up to that report, documenting successful status offender system reforms in New York, Florida, and Connecticut, in December.
Vera established an office in Washington D.C., to bring its unique expertise more directly to bear on important national policy debates related to the administration of justice.
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