Dear John,
To mark October as Youth Justice Action Month, The Sentencing Project is releasing a new commentary, "Youth Justice: Lessons from the Last 50 Years,” which discusses the evolution of youth justice policies in the United States and offers valuable insights into the successes and failures of these approaches. The report advocates for a more enlightened approach to criminal legal reform, backed by the successes of progressive approaches taken to the juvenile legal system.
The commentary provides a historic overview of the concerns and fears, augmented by the passage of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) in 1974, about increased youth crime rates in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Fear-driven policymaking led to a significant shift to harsher sentencing and a greater number of teenagers being sent to adult prisons and jails. However, these punitive measures did not enhance public safety but criminalized many routine adolescent behaviors.
"Youth Justice: Lessons from the Last 50 Years'' offers valuable insights into the past, present, and future of youth justice in the United States, and suggests that making similar changes that reduce our reliance on incarceration and provide more opportunities post release can yield positive outcomes in the adult criminal legal system. |
