Promoting Youth Justice
The Sentencing Project supports advocacy efforts in several states and at the federal level to reduce justice involvement and incarceration for our nation’s youth; expand the use of diversion to community-based alternatives to formal court processing; and address racial and ethnic disparities in both the juvenile and adult legal systems.
State Campaigns
The Sentencing Project’s youth justice team provides technical assistance to our advocacy campaigns through research and data expertise, coalition leadership, strategic communication support, and authentic youth engagement with a strong commitment to ensuring that directly impacted communities are centered.
Federal Advocacy
As a member of the Act 4 Juvenile Justice (Act4jj) coalition, The Sentencing Project is advocating for the strengthening and reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). JJDPA is the United States’ main federal law governing state juvenile justice systems. The JJDPA established the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), which supports local and state efforts to prevent youth crime and improve their respective juvenile justice systems. The JJDPA is currently up for reauthorization, meaning that Congress previously authorized funding for 2019 through 2023 and must act to approve future funding.
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Toolkit for Fighting Mass Incarceration in the 119th Congress
Read the toolkitEffective advocacy for federal sentencing, guaranteeing voting rights for persons completing felony sentences inside of prison and jail, and youth justice reform starts in your own community.
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Federal Reports Show Path to Youth Justice Reform
Read reportsFederal reports show the many opportunities to meet the needs of youth and families through a Continuum of Care model.
The Sentencing Project has been a vital supporter of Youth Law Center’s work to strengthen the advocacy community in Tennessee…their expertise has been integral to our efforts to bring real data into conversations that are so often dominated by outdated stereotypes and puffed up rhetoric…through utilizing their analysis of crime data we have been able to disarm that argument and hold policy makers accountable for spreading misinformation.
