Just City Memphis
Just City was founded in 2015 by a group of activists, attorneys, and civic leaders who saw the need for a powerful, independent voice to support the individuals, children, and families who are, or have been in contact with, the criminal justice system in the Mid-South. We advocate for strong, consistent adult and children's right to counsel policies and accelerate community-driven solutions to the problems presented by the criminal justice system.
Memphis, Tennessee
Phone: 901-206-2226
Email: info@justcity.org
Web: www.justcity.org
Twitter: JustCity901
Facebook: JustCity901
Instagram: JustCity901
Executive Director
Joia Thornton
joia@justcity.org
Found 21 matches.
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Shelby County, Tennessee Moves to Keep Youth Out of Adult Prisons
NJJN helps Shelby County pass resolution stating youth should not be detained in adult facilities and pushed the Tennessee Legislature to unanimously amend the state's safekeeping law to prohibit the transfer of children to adult prisons.
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JustCity Timeline
Tags: Tennessee
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Youth Justice Reform Roundup | January 2017
A roundup of publications news stories, and resources related to youth justice reform.
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Do Black Kids Matter In Memphis?
Tags: Tennessee | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Media
This article discusses issues of racial inequalities in the Memphis youth criminal justice system and the underlying systematic problems causing youth of color to be treated harshly.
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In Memphis, Youth Who Have Moved Through the School-to-Prison Pipeline Are Helping to Change It
Tags: Tennessee | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Media
Profile of a program run by Mahal Burr and Evan Morrison, who will receive a 2016 Award for Leadership in Youth Justice Reform from NJJN on July 26, 2016.
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For One Memphis Baker, Juvenile Justice Is Part of the Recipe
Tags: Tennessee | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Media
Profile of Lauren Wilson Young, recipient of the 2016 Award for Leadership in Juvenile Justice Reform from NJJN and JustCity.
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Criminal Justice Reform Tops the Agenda of This Memphis Legislator
Tags: Tennessee | General System Reform | Media
Profile of TN State Rep. Raumesh Akbari, who will receive a 2016 Award for Leadership in Juvenile Justice Reform from NJJN on July 26, 2016.
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FOUR TENNESSEANS WIN NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR THEIR WORK ON BEHALF OF YOUTH IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW
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Report on the Evaluation of Judicially Led Responses to Eliminate School Pathways to the Juvenile Justice System
Tags: California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Indiana | Kentucky | Massachusetts | Maryland | Michigan | North Carolina | New Mexico | Tennessee | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
Report on judicially-led collaboratives to reduce stringent school discipline and referrals of youth to juvenile courts for school-based behaviors. Discusses findings and some lessons learned. (Copyright 2015, released in June 2016.)
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Meet the Members: Just City (TN) and the Maine Juvenile Justice Reform Work Group
Introducing NJJN's newest members: Just City Memphis and the Maine Juvenile Justice Reform Work Group.
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Youth Justice Reform Roundup | September 25, 2014
The latest news from the world of youth justice reform!
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Youth Confinement at 35-Year Low: Three Reports on Reform
Special bulletin announcing three reports on juvenile justice reform from Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT and the Justice Policy Institute.
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Common Ground: Lessons Learned from Five States that Reduced Juvenile Confinement by More than Half
Tags: Arizona | Connecticut | Louisiana | Minnesota | Tennessee | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | Reports | Partner Publications
Report looks closely at five states that did the most to reduce their juvenile incarceration rates between 2001 and 2010-- Connecticut, Arizona, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Looks at the common factors driving their success, and makes recommendations to the field and other states.
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Juvenile Justice Reform Roundup
A roundup of new juvenile justice reform tools, including: two new reports on girls in the juvenile justice system and an upcoming conference on at-risk children and youth!
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New Reports Reveal Discriminatory Juvenile Justice Practices in Tennessee and Nebraska
New reports show that minority children in the juvenile justice system are treated more harshly than similarly situated white children, in Nebraska and Tennessee.
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U.S. Department of Justice Investigation Leads to Consent Decree Addressing Disparate Treatment of African-American Youth
Tags: Tennessee | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Court Decisions and Related Documents
A comprehensive, multi-year investigation of the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County and the Shelby County Juvenile Detention Center by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed racial discrimination, widespread violations of youth’s due process rights, and excessively harsh treatment of detained youth. Specifically, the investigation found disparate treatment of African-American youth at almost every phase of the juvenile justice system, failure to provide adequate due process protections to youth before transferring them to adult court, failure to provide timely and adequate notice of delinquency charges, and unnecessary and excessive use of restraints, among other violations. Shelby County and DOJ entered into a consent decree in December of 2012, which includes specific remedial measures in the areas of due process, disparate treatment, protection from harm for detained youth, and community outreach.
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Tennessee Integrated Court Screening and Referral Project
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Tennessee Clarifies Placement Procedures, H.B. 713
Tags: Tennessee | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Tennessee law clarifies several issues related to the placement of youth in the custody of the Department of Children’s Services (DCS). First, the law clarifies the juvenile court’s authority regarding placement of a youth pending potential transfer to adult court; the placement must be consistent with the best interest of the youth. The law additionally clarifies the procedure for placing a youth at home through a trial home pass and addresses procedural issues related to early release of a youth with a determinate sentence, discharge of a youth on probation or a home placement, and a youth’s violation of the terms of his or her placement. This increased clarity is intended to help improve the efficiency of court procedures, thereby helping to move youth through the system more quickly, avoid unnecessary delays, and ensure due process.
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Tennessee Works to Improve Mental Health Evaluations and Screening, H.B. 459
Tags: Tennessee | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Legislation
The Tennessee General Assembly established a program to reimburse counties for the incidental costs related to outpatient mental health evaluations of youth charged with felonies, such as costs of detention and transportation to outpatient evaluations. Prior to the new law, the state paid in full only for inpatient mental health evaluations, which created an incentive for counties to use the more costly and sometimes unnecessary inpatient evaluations, rather than less costly, more appropriate, and less invasive outpatient evaluations.
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Tennessee Curtails Juvenile Court Referrals by School Personnel, Tennessee, S.B. 2609/Public Chapter 1063
Tags: Tennessee | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Mandates that school personnel may only file juvenile petition against a special education student after determining that the behavior was not caused by the student's disability.
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Tennessee Focuses Juvenile Programs on Evidence-Based Programs, Tennesse, H.B. 1614/ S.B. 1790
Tags: Tennessee | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Prevention | Legislation
State agencies in Tennessee may no longer expend funds on juvenile justice programs or programs related to delinquency prevention and treatment unless the program is evidence-based.