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Special Projects

The National Juvenile Justice Network has a number of focal areas for its work with its state-based members. 

Raise the Mininum Age

Over half the states in this country have failed to set a bare minimum age at which you can prosecute a child in court. NJJN calls on all states to set a minimum age of prosecution of no lower than 14-years-old in accordance with the standards set forth by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).  Click here for resources to help you in your efforts to establish or raise your state’s minimum age for prosecuting children. Click here to learn more.

Ending For Profit Youth Prisons

In 2015, NJJN's membership, citing increased dangers for youth, issued a policy platform calling for an end to confining youth for profit.  In addition NJJN published recommendations states can adopt to protect youth in for profit facilities.  In 2020, following the death of Cornelius Frederick at Lakeside, a for-profit facility in Michigan, NJJN worked with our member Michigan Center for Youth Justice to close two for-profit facilities in Michigan. Since then, NJJN has heard concerns from members regarding for-profit facilities in their state prompting NJJN to partner with members to end the warehousing of youth for profit.  Learn more about our work here.

 

Youth Justice Wellness Fund

To support youth in our movement, NJJN is pleased to announce our new NJJN Youth Justice Wellness Fund. The purpose of the fund is to provide a wellness opportunity for young people within our network to promote and develop a consistent self-care healing practice to support their health. Click here to learn more.

Juvenile Justice Resource Hub

The National Juvenile Justice Network has partnered with the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE.org) to launch an online resource called the Juvenile Justice Resource Hub. The hub pulls together information and resources to provide a high-quality overview of key issues in juvenile justice, strategies for change, and resources that include research, toolkits, and links to national experts. It can be found at http://jjie.org/hub.

Victims in the Juvenile Justice Reform Movement (2014)

Youth in trouble with the law and people who have been victims of crime are often seen -- mistakenly -- to be at odds. Effective reform of the juvenile justice system cannot happen unless we ensure the fair and humane treatment of both youth who have committed offenses and those who have been harmed by the acts of others. Learn more.

Right-sizing Juvenile Justice (2013)

Over the past several years, many states across the country have dramatically reduced the number of youth held in secure facilities. Some states have achieved these reductions by downsizing existing populations in secure facilities; others have shuttered entire institutions. While the population reduction is noteworthy in and of itself, it has been accompanied by some additional powerful data. Learn more.

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