Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Band of Others: Breaking patterns of violence

    Specialty dockets are used in some states to provide extensive follow-up and supervision to help juveniles end gang affiliations. The enhanced supervision usually includes a curfew, frequent unannounced home visits, regular courthouse meetings, and in depth mentoring. A federal grant recently made it possible for a Texas docket called Juveniles United Navigating Obstacles Successfully (JUNTOS) to also offer therapy services to at least 36 adolescents over 3 years. Gang re-entry data is scarce and there is a risk of focusing only on youth of color because the gang designation excludes white supremacy groups.

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  • As pandemic spreads, nonprofit is on a mission to clear out Twin Cities jails, one bail bond at a time

    The Minnesota Freedom Fund has ramped up its spending to pay bail for people with low-level charges. The COVID-19 threat has added urgency to this increasingly popular response to the cash bail system. With jails and prisons posing a great threat to inmates during a pandemic, there have been increased calls to release non-violent inmates to slow the spread and protect those experiencing incarceration.

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  • Courts Change Amid Coronavirus

    In Ohio, courts have had to make major adjustments to stay safe from the COVID19 pandemic. These adjustments include being open for only essential purposes, using technology to reduce interpersonal interactions, and lowering bonds and using summons rather than arrests. The state also reallocated $4 million from the Supreme Court’s budget to help strengthen local courts’ ability to video conference.

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  • City watchdog says Chicago's arrest diversion program for youth can't be evaluated due to poor record keeping and lack of collaboration

    Over the past 14 years, the city of Chicago has been running a Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (JISC) to help divert youth away from the criminal justice system. The goal of the program, which took a $5 million investment, was to connect them with social services, favoring rehabilitation over punitive measures. But because of record destruction, lack of record keeping, and an inability by the police and Department of Family and Support Services to collaborate, a recent audit has proved unable to determine the success of the JISC.

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  • The Beto Effect: Transforming Houston's Criminal Justice System

    Beto O’Rourke’s failed Senate campaign in 2018 nonetheless has made lasting change in Texas’ largest city, where Democrats drawn to the polls by O'Rourke's candidacy swept out Republican judges who had blocked various criminal justice reforms. Since then, Houston's newly Democrat-controlled judiciary has transformed a famously punitive legal culture. It largely abolished cash bail in low-level cases, keeping more defendants out of jail pending trial. The city sends far fewer juveniles to youth prisons, and now prosecutors at all levels face stiffer resistance when they appear in court.

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  • Juvenile justice advocates: Let's ‘Raise the Age' again

    Since 2007, Connecticut has taken major steps in juvenile justice reform – namely, the ages that youth are arrested or charged as adults. By moving 16 and 17 year olds out of the adult system and into the juvenile justice system, the state has seen a 40% decrease in new juvenile court cases, leading to less stigma and large taxpayer savings. With such success, the state now looks to make further reforms in the juvenile justice system.

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  • How Fines and Fees Reform Became a Priority for Cities Across the Country

    From North Carolina to California, states and cities are taking a new approach to fines and fees – people are having their charges dismissed, warrants for minor offenses cleared, and many municipalities are actually saving money by spending less on collections. With a system that was built because it provided cities and states with revenue, there has been a realization that it disproportionately targets communities of color and often keeps people stuck in cycles of debt. With this national awakening, resources and networks are being created so other places can implement the same change.

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  • Free Our Youth

    Philadelphia’s Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP) offers support for youth experiencing incarceration. Funded by personal donations and grants, they offer art workshops and classes on how to navigate the justice system, manage funds to bail individuals out, and advocate for criminal justice reform. Their advocacy also helped end the practice of sentencing juveniles to life without parole.

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  • How to stop youth violence: Role models, mentors, glimpses of life's possibilities

    At Syracuse, New York’s Hillbrook Detention Center for youth, the Thinking For A Change program provides kids with classes – taught by mentors with similar backgrounds – like conflict resolution, anger management, problem-solving, and how to recognize signs of abuse. The program is part of a national shift toward rehabilitation and community-based programming, which is associated with a decrease in the number of youth experiencing incarceration.

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  • How Philadelphia Flipped: Second Chances for Youth

    Philadelphia has made a concerted effort toward reducing the number of youth being arrested in schools. Leadership, including the school police commissioner and district attorney, changed procedures so that youth, instead of getting arrested, are enrolled in diversion programs. While there’s been pushback from some law enforcement, early studies have pointed to a decline in arrests without a decline in safety.

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