Juvenile Justice

The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University‘s Public Policy Institute has announced its 2012 Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare: Multi-System Integration Certificate Programs. The Certificate Programs are week-long periods of intensive study designed for organization and system leaders working with youth known to the juvenile justice and child welfare systems—commonly referred to as “crossover youth.”

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has announced a $130 million city initiative to support education and employment training for young black and Latino males who are disproportionately likely to be among the city's dropout, incarcerated or jobless populations. 

Cross-system teams from six cities convened in Hartford, Conn., in April 2011 to deepen city strategies to reengage disconnected youth — 16-24 year-olds who are out of school and out of work, including many who are “aging out” of public care systems. The YEF Institute organized the meeting as part of its Municipal Leadership for Disconnected Youth initiative, which is made possible by the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.  

The YEF Institute has received support from the Open Society Foundations (OSF) to engage municipal leaders in OSF's Campaign for Black Male Achievement, a multi-issue, cross-fund strategy to address black men and boys' exclusion from economic, social, educational, and political life in the U.S.  The YEF Institute's Municipal Leadership for Black Male Achievement initiative will strengthen municipal leaders' capacity to improve outcomes for young black males in the areas of education, work and family. 

In January 2010, the YEF Institute published a toolkit on Preventing Gang Violence and Building Communities Where Young People Thrive.  The toolkit draws upon lessons learned over three years from the California Cities Gang Prevention Network, and contains examples of promising approaches to intervene with youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
Full toolkit (PDF) | Marshalling funding chapter (PDF) | Strategic partnerships chapter (PDF) | Targeted approaches chapter (PDF) | California Cities Gang Prevention Network

This brief case study highlights how an urban forestry initiative in New Haven, Conn., has brought together multiple city departments, a community-based organization and Yale University together to create workforce development opportunities for youth from low-income families as well as formerly incarcerated residents.

The risk of recidivism is extremely high for the growing numbers of formerly incarcerated people are released from prison, jail, or other correctional facilities.  This action guide, published as part of the California Cities Gang Prevention Network initiative, highlights strategies and action steps for delivering effective reentry services, particularly to gang-affiliated individuals

This toolkit draws upon lessons learned over three years from the California Cities Gang Prevention Network, a 13-city network sponsored in collaboration with the National Council on Crime and Delinquency to identify strategies for reducing gang violence and victimization.  
Full toolkit (PDF) | Marshalling funding chapter (PDF) | Strategic partnerships chapter (PDF) | Targeted approaches chapter (PDF) | California Cities Gang Prevention Network 

The YEF Institute's first-ever report on The State of City Leadership for Children and Families identifies the nation's most cutting-edge city strategies to help children and families thrive.  Chapters on youth violence prevention and supporting youth in transition highlight a broad range of innovations and trends in municipal leadership.
Full report (PDF) | Youth in transition chapter (PDF) | Youth violence prevention chapter (PDF)

This case study report highlights eight cities in which municipal leaders have collaborated across public systems on behalf of disconnected youth. 

This report, developed through a project funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and conducted in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, highlights mayor-law enforcement partnerships to keep young people safe in 17 cities and towns.

This action kit highlights steps city officials can take to help young people who are not connected to school, work, or caring adults.

More juvenile justice tools and resources

Formed in 2002, the Municipal Network on Disconnected Youth (MNDY) is a nationwide peer learning community of municipal leaders who are concerned about young people ages 16-24 who are out of work, out of school, and lack strong connections to the community and caring adults. 
Subscribe to the network

NLC and the Oakland-based National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) have initiated a network of 13 major cities in California to combat gang violence and victimization.  The California Cities Gang Prevention Network, the first of its kind in the nation, focuses on successful policies and practices that interweave prevention, intervention, enforcement and a community's "moral voice" as an alternative to prison-only solutions.

The YEF Institute has received support from the Open Society Institute (OSI) to engage municipal leaders in OSI's Campaign for Black Male Achievement, a multi-issue, cross-fund strategy to address black men and boys' exclusion from economic, social, educational, and political life in the U.S.  The YEF Institute's Municipal Leadership for Black Male Achievement initiative will strengthen municipal leaders' capacity to improve outcomes for young black males in the areas of education, work and family.

NLC and the Oakland-based National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) have initiated a network of 13 major cities in California to combat gang violence and victimization.  The California Cities Gang Prevention Network, the first of its kind in the nation, focuses on successful policies and practices that interweave prevention, intervention, enforcement and a community's "moral voice" as an alternative to prison-only solutions.

With support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the YEF Institute worked with six cities - Denver; Hartford, Conn.; Newark, N.J.; Orlando, Fla.; Roanoke, Va.; and St. Louis - to help municipal leaders reengage disconnected youth through cross-system collaboration.