A Special Guest on the “Cradle to Prison Pipeline”
“A society that... can only protect you with the club of criminal justice has either failed at enforcing its good intentions or has succeeded at something much darker.” Ta- Nehisi Coates
This week’s issue was researched and written by our friend Alix Rivière who holds a PhD in history. Her research focused on the role of age in race relations and experiences of young enslaved people. Sadly, her lens can be applied to modern issues in the justice system. - Amber & Katie
The juvenile justice system has massively failed young people in the United States, particularly non-White youth. The “tough on crime” policies of the 1980s and 90s that were supposed to target “superpredators” have clearly demonstrated incarceration is not a solution. Instead, they have intensified the racialization of juvenile justice.
In 2017, minority youth were three times more likely to be detained than White youth. That likelihood increased to almost six times more for Black youth. A Black boy born in 2001 has a one-in-three chance of going to prison in their lifetime and a Latino boy a one-in-six chance.
Many of us know of the social and economic forces that funnel children of color into the “School to Prison Pipeline.” Schools, by disproportionately suspending children of color and increasingly referring incidents to law enforcement, have widened the racial gap. But schools are not the only ones to blame for the terrible state of our judicial system. Systemic poverty and under-investment disproportionately pushes non-White children into contact with our broken justice system, with harsh punishments for even minor offenses. Because of that, some advocates prefer to think of the problem in terms of a “Cradle to Prison Pipeline.”
Recognizing the failures, many states are in the process of reforming their juvenile justice system—including Massachusetts, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota and West Virginia—by reducing incarceration rates and focusing instead on diversion programs, better police-youth interactions, and proactively addressing trauma and mental health issues among young people. Unequally used throughout the U.S., diversion programs offer young people—mostly first-time offenders of minor crimes—an alternative to incarceration using mediation or conflict resolution. Of note, tribal governments have been at the forefront of innovative and culturally relevant extra-judicial approaches to deal with “delinquent” youth and involve members of their communities in peacemaking and restorative justice.
In December 2018, President Trump signed the bipartisan Juvenile Justice Reform Act, which amended and improved the 1974 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Thanks to this, researching and addressing racial disparities in the juvenile justice system is now one of the core principles states have to adhere to in order to receive federal funding for juvenile justice initiatives. But can the federal government lead the way when Caren Harp, Trump’s appointee at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, has started dismantling the Office’s research team and reverted back to a conservative philosophy?
In these times of great changes in the juvenile justice system, here is how you can take action:
Call your Senators to fully fund the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act for FY 2020. This is crucial for the 2018 legislative reform bill to translate into on-the-ground changes Act4JuvenileJustice offers a template on their website.
Stay informed! Track federal and state initiatives regarding juvenile justice and call your representatives.
Learn more about tribal approaches to peacemaking, conflict resolution and healing—the foundation of diversion programs. Check this list of resources from the Indigineous Peacemaking Initiative, and this article on Navajo restorative justice traditions.
Hold your local schools accountable: ask how they respond to kids who misbehave or get in trouble. Push for less law enforcement on campus and more school-based restorative justice and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS).
Follow the Campaign for Youth Justice on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. In November, learn about the crisis of justice for native youth during the Native American Heritage Month.
Volunteer as a tutor with the Petey Greene Program (MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI, DC), a nonprofit supplementing education for incarcerated men, women, and youth.
Hear Alonza Thomas’ story in this Frontline documentary. At age 16 Alonza was sent to adult prison shortly after California enacted a new tough-on-juvenile-crime law.
Donate to the Children’s Defense Fund, a national nonprofit at the forefront of the fight to reform our juvenile justice system, end child poverty and increase children’s access to health and education.
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Let us know how you’ve taken action using #LinkedAndLoud.
References
The Cradle to Prison Pipeline: America’s New Apartheid | Children’s Defense Fund
Research and Statistics | Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Juvenile Justice | Annie E. Casey Foundation
Juvenile Justice Diversion for American Indian Youth | The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 Affirms Protections for Young People | AECF
This Agency Tried to Fix the Race Gap in Juvenile Justice. Then Came Trump | The Marshall Project
Youth Confinement: The Whole Pie | Prison Policy Initiative
Linked & Loud illuminates complex problems and connects readers with the individuals and organizations working to solve them. Each week, we go beyond horrifying headlines to empower readers to take progressive action.