Juvenile Justice

Decriminalize Being in Foster Care: Policy Recommendations

The Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council held a webinar on November 20, 2023, to discuss their recommendations for decriminalizing the foster care system and preventing foster youth from entering the juvenile justice system. The panelists shared stories of three African American youth who were killed by law enforcement while in the foster care

Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Holds Two Foster Care Hearings

On October 30, 2023, the Senate Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law held a field hearing in Georgia entitled, “Foster Children in the Courts.” This hearing was the second one to be held in response to reports in February that children in the care of Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) have

House Hearing on Child Trafficking

On September 14th, 2023, The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held a hearing to examine child sex trafficking, the increase in child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) online, and how social media and big tech companies perpetuate these issues within the United States and around the world. The hearing began with an

President’s Budget Summary and Chart

CWLA released the Summary of the President's FY2024 Budget Proposal and the FY 2024 Federal Budget Chart. Each year, CWLA compiles this targeted summary and budget chart explaining the President's budget proposal, with a particular focus on spending and legislative requests that directly impact children and families. President Biden released his FY 2024 budget on

Department of Justice Budget Briefing

On March 13, 2023, the Department of Justice held the Fiscal Year 2024 President’s Budget Rollout Stakeholders Briefing. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta delivered the opening remarks. Jolene Lauria, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General, summarized the budget allocated to the DOJ. The DOJ will have $5 billion to allocate towards state and local assistance and

New Data and Trends Show Failure of Youth Incarceration

The Sentencing Project released their last publication of 2022 highlighting valuable data on youth incarceration rates and trends. This data and research showed that youth incarceration not only fails to deter youth delinquency, but many studies show that confinement increases negative behavior while reduction in confinement does not lead to an increase in youth criminal

Improving Outcomes for Youth Involved in Multiple Systems

On Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022, the Stoneleigh Foundation in collaboration with Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform hosted, “Improving Outcomes for Youth Involved in Multiple Systems of Care,” the first webinar in a series focused on the Multi-Systems Integration Pilot Program. The Multi-Systems Integration Program, currently being piloted in Delaware and Erie counties, draws

The Prohibiting Detention of Youth Status Offenders Act of 2022

Every year, thousands of kids are incarcerated for “status offenses” including truancy, breaking curfew or running away from home—acts that would not be considered crimes if they were committed by an adult. The Prohibiting Detention of Youth Status Offenders Act of 2022, introduced by Senator Casey (D-PA) and Representative Cardenas (D-CA), would phase out and

CWLA Joins Effort: CMS Support for Police-Free Youth Mobile Response

The Child Welfare League of America has signed onto the letter/request by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and other organizations in urging the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to prioritize police-free youth mobile response services that are fully reimbursable under the new Medicaid mobile crisis incentive established in the American

Report on Effectiveness of Youth Mobile Response

In April of 2021, The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) reported findings on the effectiveness of mobile responses - “an alternative to using law enforcement to respond to mental health and social crisis.”   This week CLASP started a letter to CMS to support these efforts (see following article for what you can do). In the report, CLASP dissects successful mobile response systems

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