Our Vision

We don’t have to dream of a liberated future. We can create one.

We can build a world where those who’ve been hurt can heal, and those who’ve caused harm are accountable to the community and its members—not prisons.

img 4_5 (5) — Photo Credit: Performing Statistics

The system calls for transformation, not reformation.

The youth carceral system has created and sustained numerous problems. The solution isn’t ‘better’ youth prisons, it’s the abolishment of youth prisons altogether. That means no young people in carceral settings, including jails or prisons (juvenile and adult), detention centers and private and state-run placements.

If that kind of future seems like a dream, remember that we’re already more than halfway there.

Since 2000, youth incarceration has dropped by 75%, and many prisons have been replaced by life-affirming, community-based alternatives. These alternatives keep kids in their homes and surrounded by people who care about them, pair directly impacted youth with credible mentors, create pathways to jobs and education and connect young people with the mental health support needed to address trauma. They create opportunities for our children to explore, grow and develop their gifts.

Now is not the time to stop fighting for this version of the future. Here’s how we forge ahead.

Our vision invests in young people, not youth prisons.

To effectively end youth incarceration, and keep kids from entering the system at all, we can use money more wisely by investing in supportive alternatives such as education, mental health supports, job training and more.

Our vision…

Keeps youth from entering the system

Local Continuums of Care (CoC) prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system, and divert them from moving deeper into the system. CoC refers to a coordinated system of services that provides support and care to individuals within their communities and/or homes. CoC programs may include supportive homes for homeless and foster youth, addiction and recovery support and coordinated care for youth diagnosed with serious emotional disturbances.

At its core, the continuum of care framework is a holistic approach that is community-driven, leverages local insights and addresses youth needs.

—Liz Ryan, former OJJDP Administrator, founder of YFJC

If you are stuck in the system, you get HOPELESS and you don’t know what else is out there, so if there were clubs and groups to go to and people to talk to and actually tell you what exists, that would change circumstances for a lot of people.

—A directly impacted young person

Beyond Bars

South Bronx Community Connections takes youth who have been arrested and are facing Family Court and formally connects them to a network of positive adults and activities in the community.

South Bronx Community Connections

Our vision…

Moves funds to programs that benefit youth

We know that community programs and high-quality schools improve outcomes for young people and lead to less involvement in the juvenile justice system. The key is in divesting funds away from carceral facilities and into schools, as well as programs that provide youth employment opportunities, after-school programs, arts education and sports, mentoring and violence intervention programs.

New York City’s Cure Violence program contributed to a 63% reduction in gun shooting victims in South Bronx, New York.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

I let my wall down. I thought my parents were just being mean to me, sending me to work with a stranger, but that became someone that I really care about.

—Najah, Youth Advocate Programs (YAP) mentee

YAP

Trusted community members are crucial to violence interruption programs and play a central role in program implementation.

The Center for American Progress

Our vision…

Promotes transformative justice

Transformative justice is a community-driven approach that seeks safety and accountability after a young person causes harm without relying on alienation, punishment or state or systemic violence. By getting all the way to the root of someone’s actions, we can uncover conditions within the community that can be changed or improved to prevent repetition. For example, if people have safe and secure homes, they won’t need to engage in “criminal activity.”

How can we respond to violence in ways that not only address the current incident of violence, but also help to transform the conditions that allowed for it to happen?

—Mia Mingus, writer and organizer

Transformative Justice: A Brief Description

Transformative Justice is a framework to prevent, intervene in, and address harm and violence through non-punitive accountability. It’s a framework that prioritizes relationship building, developing our skills, and uprooting oppression.

Interrupting Criminalization

Our vision…

Creates restorative diversions

Community-based alternatives divert young people and survivors from the juvenile courts to a process that is restorative, meaning it is aimed at healing harm and preventing criminal charges. These alternatives include family-focused interventions such as Multisystemic Therapy (MST), Functional Family Therapy (FFT). Credible Messengers, community members with a history of justice system involvement, can also provide intensive support and assistance to youth and their families.

Of the young people who completed Community Works West restorative justice program, in Oakland, CA, 44% were less likely to recidivate, compared with similarly situated probation youth.

Business Insider

Out of the kids that do participate in our program, 95% of them haven’t reoffended.

—Rosalie Roy, director of Outreach Services, Boys & Girls Club Diversion Program, Indianapolis

WRTV

92% of young men in Baltimore who completed the first two years of the Roca intervention program were not re-incarcerated.

Roca intervention program