#NoKidsInPrison Principles
Abolition for All
We believe locking up kids is wrong, no matter what they’ve done. It just doesn’t work. When young people mess up, they deserve a second chance. We’re fighting for a world where those who’ve been hurt can heal and find their place in the community, and those who’ve caused harm are accountable to the community and its members—not cops or prison.
Prioritizing Decarceration
We support policies that get young people out of jail and we put money into programs and policies that actually help them, plain and simple. We know ending the system of locking people up takes time, but we won’t support anything that keeps things the same.
Ending Oppressive Systems + Investing in Communities
We believe strong communities, where everyone has what they need to succeed, are key to ending incarceration. That means investing in quality schools, healthy and accessible food, safe housing, and health care for everyone.
Building Transformative Alternatives to Prison
Prisons and jails don’t work. We need to create new solutions that address harm and violence and actually help people grow and change. Importantly, communities need to be in control of those solutions. We’re about investing in programs that put people first and prioritize healing, not punishment.
We support the following solutions:
Keep young people home and with their communities
- Close existing youth prisons and end the ineffective, antiquated, and harmful approach used by most states to incarcerate youth.
- Do not build, expand, or invest in new juvenile correctional facilities (including placements or for detention), or separate facilities designed to house youth charged as adults.
- Prohibit the placement of children under 18 in adult jails and prisons or youth prisons for any reason.
Divest from youth incarceration + reinvest in communities
- Create fiscal incentives and/or funding streams for states to reduce the use of out-of-home and correctional placements for youth.
- Require savings from reductions in out-of-home placement to be directed to evidence- and community-based alternatives that focus on restorative justice and violence prevention.
- Redirect resources from youth prison closures to community-based alternatives & youth programming and services in their communities.
- Create a federal fund to help counties start community-based, non-residential programs.
