The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Miller v. Alabama’s prohibition on mandatory juvenile life without parole should apply retroactively. Their 6-3 decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana gives thousands of people, who are currently serving time in prison, the opportunity to have their sentences reheard and the hope for release.
“The Coalition for the Juvenile Justice … Continued

The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ) at Policy Research Associates, Inc. and the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. announce the release of Strengthening Our Future: Key Elements to Developing a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice Diversion Program for Youth with Behavioral Health Conditions. Developed as part of the … Continued

The experience of a youth as a victim of maltreatment and his or her experience within the child welfare system are often relevant to a delinquency case and its resolution. This resource brief, a collaboration between the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice and the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC), … Continued

As juvenile justice reform continues to spread across the United States, many probation departments are wary about investing scarce resources on reforms that may be short lived. Their reluctance is reasonable considering the plethora of programs in the past several decades that have been “innovative” and “effective,” but have little proof of long-term impacts. However, … Continued

Today the U.S. Senate passed by a vote of 85-12 the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) or the elementary and secondary education reauthorization bill, which improves access to quality education for young people involved in and returning from the juvenile justice system. The reauthorization includes new language requiring that states promote services for youth who … Continued