Reform the Nation's Juvenile Justice System

The Annie E. Casey Foundation Issue Brief

By the Annie E. Casey Foundation

January 6, 2009

Summary

Juvenile courts and corrections systems in the U.S. are littered with outdated policies that increase crime, endanger kids, waste billions of taxpayer dollars and violate our values about equal justice under the law. This issue brief calls on political leaders in Washington, D.C. to promote data-driven and evidence-based policymaking for juvenile justice reform.  

Table of Contents

Key Takeaway

Federal policy for combating juvenile delinquency lags way behind data-driven, evidence-based reforms.

Despite evidence of widespread rights violations in juvenile justice, the federal government has done little in recent years to expand or intensify its efforts to protect the safety and well-being of court-involved youth.

Findings & Stats

Statements & Quotations