Posted on September 30, 2012
Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice
Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice
The juvenile justice system should invest in families and communities instead of routinely shutting them out of decision-making processes in which authorities' unilateral decisions often inflict lasting damage, a report from a coalition of grassroots organizations led by Justice for Families and DataCenter argues. The report, Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice (56 pages, PDF), describes how the juvenile justice system, zero-tolerance policies, and aggressive policing practices unnecessarily incarcerate youth, prevent families from ensuring their children's well-being, and devastate already socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Funded by the Mitchell Kapor, Akonadi, Public Welfare, Annie E. Casey, Common Counsel, Edward W. Hazen, New York, and Open Society foundations, the report calls for building family participation into juvenile justice and school disciplinary systems, supporting positive youth development, and investing in community-based reconciliation as well as human resources and physical infrastructure.
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