Youth Justice Resources
Upcoming Events
Recorded Webinars
Creative Approaches in Challenging Times: The Vital Role of Community Based Organizations in Supporting Youth and Families - During this webinar, representatives from organizations in Texas, California, and New York shared concrete steps they have taken to meet the varied and immediate needs of youth and families during the pandemic, the ways they have partnered with system leaders to keep kids out of—or bring kids home from—confinement, and the manner in which their roots and pre-COVID practices allowed them to be nimble in this time of crisis. July 15, 2020
COVID-19, Racial Justice, and the Transformation of Our Youth Justice System - The Stoneleigh Foundation and Columbia University Justice Lab invite you to a virtual convening examining the impact of COVID-19 and racial justice advocacy on the U.S. youth justice system. June 30, 2020
PROTECT OUR YOUTH: Teens Behind Bars During the Coronavirus Crisis - co-hosted by the Art for Justice Fund and Youth First State Advocacy Fund. Speakers included Agnes Gund, Founder of the Art for Justice Fund, Galit Lipa, Program Director at the Public Welfare Foundation, Gina Womack, Executive Director of Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Youth, Trey Hartt and Gina Lyles of Performing Statistics, Liz Ryan of Youth First, and Helena Huang, Project Director of the Art for Justice Fund. May 14, 2020
COVID-19 and Boys and Men of Color, Their Families and Communities – A Spotlight on Youth Justice hosted by California Funders for Boys and Men of Color on April 24, 2020
Family Is Essential Webinar: A conversation with family advocates about COVID-19 and Youth Justice - hosted by the Vera Institute of Justice and the Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice Reform on April 23, 2020
Improving Law Enforcement/Youth Interactions in Times of Crisis - hosted by Strategies for Youth on April 21, 2020
Advocacy Strategies for Protecting Incarcerated Youth from Covid19 - co-hosted by 14 Youth Justice organizations on April 7, 2020
COVID-19: Minimizing Impacts on Youth in the Justice System - hosted by NJJN, CJJ, and CFYJ on March 17, 2020
Policy and Practice
COVID-19 In Juvenile Facilities – The Sentencing Project is tracking COVID-19 positive diagnoses among youth and staff at juvenile facilities and the number of known cases in each state. Updated daily, or follow @JoshRovner on Twitter.
COVID-19 Youth Justice Advocacy Resources - Youth First is compiling state actions, sample demand letters, press statements, petitions, talking points, and policymaker statements.
Youth Justice Advocates in 35+ States Demand Governors and System Leaders Release Incarcerated Youth Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Statement on COVID-19 Pandemic & Urgent Need for Juvenile Legal System to Act and Juvenile Defense Resources - From the National Juvenile Defender Center, including affidavits, letters, and motions.
Responding to the Needs of Youth Involved With the Justice System During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Physicians Call for Release of Detained Youth During COVID-19 Pandemic - Statement from Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform.
Memo re: COVID-19 Responses in the Juvenile Justice System - Issued by the National Governors Association.
Recommendations for Youth Justice Systems during the COVID-19 Emergency - The Columbia Justice Lab's Youth Correctional Leaders for Justice issued recommendations signed onto by 30 current and former youth corrections administrators to date.
Advocating for Kids in Detention and Congregate Care Amidst COVID-19 Concerns - From the American Bar Association.
Urgent Action Needed for Youth Justice Professionals in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic - A Policy Statement issued by the Center for Children’s Law and Policy.
Fighting the Coronavirus With Decarceration: Policies and Polling - Report from Fwd.us, R Street, and the Justice Collaborative that includes national polling data.
Statement from Act 4 Juvenile Justice - Prepared by Campaign for Youth Justice, Coalition for Juvenile Justice, and the National Juvenile Justice Network. Recommendations for youth justice providers to minimize impact on young people involved with the justice system, particularly those who are locked behind bars.
Pandemic Is Chance For Leaders to Collaborate on Transforming Youth Justice - By Gladys Carrion and Mishi Faruqee for JJIE.
How to Sustain Youth & Family Wellbeing in the Juvenile Justice System During the COVID-19 Crisis - From the Full Frame Initiative.
Philanthropic Responses
Eight one-hour webinar recordings are available from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, with practical advice by and for youth justice system leaders and practitioners responsible for keeping young people, communities and agency staff safe. The webinars highlighted below are organized by four juvenile justice priorities that should guide the field during and after the pandemic.
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Call to Action - Medical professionals are urging state and local officials to #FreeOurYouth and quickly reduce the number of young people who are incarcerated by suspending new admissions and releasing incarcerated youth to slow and stop the spread of #COVID19.
10 Ways Juvenile Probation Can Meet the Coronavirus Challenge - Ten recommendations from the Annie E. Casey Foundation offer timely guidance to probation leaders who are adjusting their probation practices in light of COVID-19.
Sierra Health Foundation is partnering with funders, local leaders and community members to support nonprofit organizations, small businesses and vulnerable populations in Northern California, Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley through three regional COVID-19 response funds.
This Annie E. Casey Foundation blog post titled Juvenile Justice Priorities During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic captures four important steps that Casey and other organizations are promoting that juvenile justice agencies can take to help to limit the spread of COVID-19.
A Liberty Hill Foundation blog post titled Our Response to the COVID-19 Crisis outlines a few of the ways Liberty Hill is responding to immediate needs and looking to the future.
Public Welfare Foundation posted this statement indicating their continued commitment during the COVID-19 outbreak to advance their mission to support the advancement of a new transformative approach to justice that is community-led, restorative, and racially just.
The Pew Charitable Trusts published Lessons From Juvenile Justice Reforms Could Help Reduce Pandemic's Impact on Confined Youth: Research and state experiences show population reductions can be done safely.
Stop a Coronavirus Disaster: Release Kids from Juvenile Facilities - By Shane Murphy Goldsmith and Robert Ross for the Chronicle of Social Change
Other
Other Resource Lists
Curated News Collection - The Marshall Project is producing and compiling media coverage of how the pandemic is intersecting with justice systems.
COVID-19 Response & Resources - Maintained by The Justice Collaborative, this webpage is being regularly updated to share proposed policies and other resources for activists, public officials, and journalists, with a broader scope of the criminal justice reform field.
Juvenile Defense Resources - From the National Juvenile Defender Center, including affidavits, letters, and motions.