Policy Brief: Juvenile Justice – Reducing Youth Detention and Incarceration

In order to communicate research findings, empirical data, and advances in our local and statewide advocacy efforts, we issue policy briefs related to each of our priority areas. Each policy brief is designed to share relevant and thoughtful content that promotes an asset-based narrative around solutions that improve life outcomes for boys and men of color.

In this issue, we’ll discuss how young people who become involved with the criminal justice systems are more often incarcerated or committed to other out-of-home placements, as opposed to being offered an opportunity for diversion. Recognizing the harms of detention and incarceration, advocates in counties and states across the country have endorsed and successfully implemented prevention and intervention strategies that divert youth from the justice system. These initiatives resist the harm of punitive, deficit-based approaches by aiming to provide support structures that promote positive youth development while also holding youth accountable for their actions.

Click here to download the latest policy brief on Juvenile Justice.