Pay for prevention now, or pay for detention later

It just makes sense. Lock up a kid with other delinquents, not much good will come of it. Charles Dickens wrote at length about the destructive effects of prisons (called bridewells in Victorian England), workhouses and debtors prisons. In the same era, journalist Henry Mayhew documented that institutions for the poor and criminal were better at teaching crime than reforming. The notion of “schools for crime” is nothing new.

When the youth is released they often get into trouble again, using the knowledge gained in juvie and turnstiles back in.

So if you don’t like sad, don’t read it.

We live in a lovely neighborhood in a residential community outside Boston.

It’s quintessential New England. Cul-de-sac, walking distance to school, the library and shops. Full of big backyards with swing sets and slides. I raised my two kids here. They are now in their 20s.

Only two states remain that automatically charge 16-year-olds as adults

The need to raise the age of criminal responsibility has been written about here more than once. (Charging Juvenile Offenders as Adults parts one and two being two examples). Progress has been made, but our fight is not over. There are still two states left that prosecute and place children in the adult criminal-justice system—North Carolina and New York. 

A documentary film about teens behind bars

The documentary, 'They Call Us Monsters,' is a rare glimpse into the lives of the most vulnerable of those residing in America’s system of mass incarceration—juveniles facing a bleak life in prison. These adolescents would not have been deemed adults in virtually any other setting. They are unable to purchase cigarettes, rent a car or even vote. Yet, they are held to an arbitrarily created standard of adult convictions. It is clear from the film there is no easy answer for what to do with adolescents who commit serious offenses.

Judge Dorene Allen researched her options and decided to try MST

"You want to have children rehabilitate to the point that if they move next to you, your grandchildren will be safe." This is the simple, yet powerful advice Judge Dorene Allen, presiding probate and juvenile court judge for Midland County, Mich., has for people selecting programs for juveniles in the justice system. 

At one point, the services offered in her county were not meeting that standard. Judge Allen was not "satisfied spending time, energy and money for no results. That’s depressing to the judge and community."

Multisystemic Therapy for emerging adults (MST-EA) is an adaptation of MST 

Pete was a 17-year-old with many problems. Some were of his own making. Others were forced on him. His mother was no longer around and his father was in the late stages of a terminal illness, contributing to Pete’s anxiety and depression. Pete had been trying to care for his father, but he missed too much school and was moved into foster care once this was reported to authorities. There, his behavior deteriorated. He refused to attend school and started breaking into cars. 

His foster caregiver couldn’t keep him at home and away from his ex-girlfriend, with whom he had a toxic, physically aggressive relationship. On top of this, he relied heavily on daily marijuana to cope with his depression and anxiety. 

Leaders in the field come together to demand the end of youth incarceration 

It may be that we look back on Oct. 21, 2016, as the day we finally made a public commitment to close youth prisons once and for all.

At a release event for the Future of Youth Justice report, the call for ending the use of juvenile prisons was loud and clear. While it’s true that it may not be tomorrow, next year or even this decade, this day marks a pivotal moment in the fight for juvenile justice. 

Juvenile justice reform has bipartisan support... If we can move past presidential politics

Typically, our blog is apolitical. We don’t take sides except when it comes to what is best for young people in our society. Then we have an unwavering point of view. First, do no harm. Second, do good and do better. Advocate for change where change is needed.

We are not taking sides today—though we admit to looking forward to the end of this election cycle. 

Unlike the hot-button issues of tax, immigration and healthcare, juvenile justice reform has bipartisan support. 

So regardless of who wins in November, we hope our elected officials can get back to working on overhauling the juvenile justice system.  

A look behind the euphemisms that proliferate the system

Imagine that you are sitting in court with your teenage son or daughter. The judge orders your child to six months living in a "training school" to address the concerns of the court. What would you imagine that to be? Something like a military school or a boot camp? A cluster of cabins in the woods where kids do ropes courses and practice trust falls?

The truth is that most training schools are thinly veiled youth prisons. Commonly referred to as "secure placements," they are actually cinder-block buildings behind barbed-wire where children wear orange jumpsuits, rubber shoes and handcuffs. They live in cellblocks and behind bars, get limited contact with their families and are at high risk of sexual and physical abuse. There is an intentional glazing over of the horrors within these facilities, under-reporting of crimes against young people behind bars and a number of creative euphemisms aimed at shielding us from the truth. 

Organizers are asking you to take action 

The Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ) is a national initiative dedicated to ending the prosecution, sentencing and incarceration of youth younger than 18 in the adult criminal justice system. 

CFYJ was started in 2004 by a distraught parent whose juvenile son was prosecuted in adult criminal court. The mother became determined to change policies that allow hundreds of thousands of youths to be tried in adult court every year. And she put her money where her heart was. Her actions led to the Campaign for Youth Justice officially opening in July 2005.