From: CWLA Member Exclusives
Subject: Value-Added Feature: Juvenile Justice

Every day our agencies work with children who come to us from many different youth serving systems (e.g., child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, substance abuse, and special education). In this regard, the link between child welfare and juvenile justice stands out as an increasingly important one. We see, for example, that the damage caused by maltreatment (including both abuse and neglect) frequently results in delinquency and adult criminality, as well as a variety of other negative outcomes for our nation’s youth.

Funded entirely by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, the CWLA Juvenile Justice Division focuses on these connections that have now been established through a rich body of research. The Division is involved in public education and advocacy, consultation, and technical assistance to promote coordinated and integrated work among child welfare, juvenile justice, and other youth serving systems in state and local jurisdictions. The CWLA Juvenile Justice Division also works to promote the greater use of effective community-based alternatives to incarceration and focuses on other key issues affecting the juvenile justice system. These include the increasing number of girls in the juvenile justice system and the need for gender-competent services, the disproportionate representation of minorities, capital punishment of juveniles, and the over-reliance on transfer/waiver statutes.

If you would like to learn more about the important work of the CWLA Juvenile Justice Division or find out how you to get involved, visit www.cwla.org/programs/juvenilejustice or call 202/942-0309.

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