Juvenile Justice

In 2007, CDF formally launched its Cradle to Prison Pipeline^® Campaign, a national call to action to end the crisis at the intersection of poverty and race that puts Black boys born in 2001 at a one in three lifetime risk of going to prison, and Latino boys born in 2001 at a one in six lifetime risk of the same fate. CDF works to build a common understanding of the root causes of this crisis and lead actions to produce results in critical areas, particularly juvenile justice, and to raise public awareness about this crisis to catalyze action at the local, state and federal levels to form "Cradle coalitions" across the country and to help train a next generation of leaders committed to dismantling the Pipeline.

Juvenile Justice and the Federal Budget

The Obama Administration's budget request for the fiscal year 2010 signals a new national commitment to children, families and America's future. The policies and funding changes proposed make clear that the President understands that investing in children now will ensure a more stable economy and a healthier, more competitive workforce for the future.

The budget makes maintains FY2009 level funding for key juvenile justice programs, but it makes a significant down payment on Second Chance Act funding. This funding supports juvenile and adult re-entry programs that help put former offenders on the path to a productive and successful life.

To better understand what the budget proposals mean for children, CDF has provided an overview of the budget, broken down by issue area, and provides information on some areas where more attention is needed.

Youth PROMISE Act

CDF President Marian Wright Edelman testified for a hearing on the Youth PROMISE Act before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security of the House Committee on the Judiciary on July 15, 2009. The Youth PROMISE Act (H.R. 1064/S.435), which has bipartisan support and over 225 cosponsers, shifts the policy paradigm from ineffective punishment and incarceration to evidence-based prevention and intervention to address juvenile delinquency. The Youth PROMISE Act is a helpful response to the prison to pipeline crisis because it takes major steps to substitute the pipeline to prison with a pipeline to successful adulthood for many of our youths. For more information on this bill, visit Representative Bobby Scott's webpage on the Youth PROMISE Act.

JJDPA Reauthorization Act Introduced

On March 24, 2009, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA), Committee members Herb Kohl (D-WI.) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDPA) Reauthorization Act (S. 678). This bill reauthorizes a critical federal law that establishes core protections for youth in the juvenile and adult criminal justice system.  The JJDPA also provides funding for state improvements to juvenile justice systems and prevention programs.  Visit act4jj.org to find out more about the Reauthorization and how to get involved!

Promising Models for Reforming Juvenile Justice Systems

As Congress gears up for reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), CDF President Marian Wright Edelman looks at several promising approaches across the country that are changing the juvenile justice paradigm from punishment and incarceration as a first resort to prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation that put children onto a path to productive adulthood in her weekly Child Watch^® Column, "Promising Models for Reforming Juvenile Justice Systems."

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Juvenile Justice Resources Available in Your State and Community

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama helps alleviate the stress on families and communities by investing in improvements for a range of needed services and supports, including services for juvenile justice and criminal justice. Learn what is available in your state and community and how to use these funds to invest in juvenile juistice by visiting the Juvenile Justice/Criminal Justice section of our guide, The New Economic Recovery Law: Resources to Help Children and the Economy.

Legislation to Reform Juvenile Justice Policy Introduced

On April 2, 2009, Congressman Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced the Juvenile Justice Improvement Act.  This bill would increase protections offered to children and youth charged with offenses in adult court and encourage states to eliminate dangerous practices in juvenile facilities.  Congressman Murphy also seeks to make these important improvements in juvenile justice policy during the upcoming reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA).

Recent Reports on Juvenile Justice

The Sentencing Project released a report analyzing the growth in the number of incarcerated parents and their children since 1991.  Incarcerated Parents and Their Children: Trends, 1991-2007 reviews data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and documents the growing impact of incarceration on children and families.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention published, Characteristics of Juvenile Suicide in Confinement, an analysis of data from the first national survey of suicides of youth in confinement.  The report describes demographic characteristics and social history of the victims and examines the characteristics of the facilities in which the suicides occurred. 

New Data on Youth at Risk

In December 2008, CDF released it's State of America's Children 2008^® report that includes a compilation of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on various issues including "Youth at Risk." This section includes data on dropouts, youth unemployment, juvenile arrests, juveniles in residential placement, teen birth rates, drug use and drug-related arrests and incarceration among teens, spending on prisoners vs. spending on public school students, and firearm deaths of children and teens.

Youth PROMISE Act Helps At-Risk Children

CDF President Marian Wright Edelman gave the opening remarks at Congressman Bobby Scott's youth violence summit in December 2008, entitled, "Empowering Communities to Combat Gang Crime: The Youth PROMISE Act." This event brought experts together from various fields to focus attention on the need to address youth crime and gang involvement through evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies before serious crimes are committed.

CDF is also addressing this issue through its Cradle to Prison Pipeline^® Campaign, created in 2007 to develop and promote comprehensive policies that invest in prevention and intervention, not punishment and incarceration. Learn more about CDF's Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign and the Youth PROMISE Act.

Protect Children, Not Guns 2009 Report

The latest edition of CDF's annual report, Protect Children, Not Guns 2009, finds an increase in firearm deaths among children and teens for the second year in a row, after a decade of decline prior to 2005. Using the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDF’s report shows that 3,184 children and teens were killed by firearms in 2006, a 6 percent increase from the previous year. In addition to the latest data on child and teen gun violence, the report outlines a series of action steps that individuals can take to help diminish the threat of gun violence to our communities. These recommendations provide practical approaches to reducing the number of child and teen gun deaths.

America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline^SM Report

CDF's America's Cradle to Prison Pipeline report documents an urgent national crisis at the intersection of poverty and race that puts Black boys at a one in three lifetime risk of going to jail, and Latino boys at a one in six lifetime risk of the same fate. The report includes an overview of the major factors behind the Pipeline, moving photographs that show the faces of children in the Pipeline, case studies describing how the Pipeline affects children, calls for the hard work and persistence needed to build a transforming movement, descriptions of some promising approaches to help keep children out of the Pipeline and research tables and state-by-state data of key child indicators.