Legal services non-profit for economically and socially disadvantaged youth in the greater Houston area. The Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project (JCAP) at the University of Houston Law Center was established in 2014 by David R.
Dow, longtime death penalty attorney, founder of the Texas Innocence Network, and Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center. JCAP seeks to reduce juvenile delinquency and improve life outcomes for socially and economically disadvantaged youth through the provision of legal, educational, and social support services. JCAP currently provides free legal services to individuals needing t
Dow, longtime death penalty attorney, founder of the Texas Innocence Network, and Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center. JCAP seeks to reduce juvenile delinquency and improve life outcomes for socially and economically disadvantaged youth through the provision of legal, educational, and social support services. JCAP currently provides free legal services to individuals needing t
Operating as usual
Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project's Education Rights Clinic hosted a "Know Your Rights" Event with Collective Action For Youth. Incredible community collaboration and participation, including discussions and role playing. It was amazing to meet so many new colleagues and friends and we look forward to more events!
Katya DowKatya Dow
David R. Dow
Meredith Johnson Duncan
Gavriella Roisman
Dieter Cantu
Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project is excited to announce the return of our Education Rights Clinic. JCAP knows that school advocacy is a critical component in disrupting the #schooltoprisonpipeline and justice involvement for children in general.
For more information, contact Gavriella Roisman, Supervising Attorney ([email protected]), or submit direct referrals by clicking below: https://forms.office.com/r/mFTYf25URG
Katya Dow, David R. Dow
Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project is excited to announce the return of our Education Rights Clinic. JCAP knows that school advocacy is a critical component in disrupting the #schooltoprisonpipeline and justice involvement for children in general.
For more information, contact Gavriella Roisman, Supervising Attorney ([email protected]), or submit direct referrals by clicking below: https://forms.office.com/r/mFTYf25URG
Katya Dow, David R. Dow
The Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project is a proud supporter and sponsor of Senator Brian Schatz's new legislation removing barriers to higher education for Americans with criminal records.
#EdEquity
Katya Dow
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) reintroduced the Beyond the Box for Higher...
Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project interns working with the illustrious Harris County Youth Collective on their informational promotion for their upcoming rebranding launch! Stay tuned!
#defendchildren #community #advocates #htownproud
Did you know that an alarming 60% of children who were victims of child s*x trafficking had been involved with child welfare services?
Join Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project, United Against Human Trafficking, and Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition TOMORROW JUNE 16, for a panel discussion on Foster Kids and Human Trafficking.
Katya Dow
Register here: https://lnkd.in/duTBEVr
Did you know that an alarming 60% of children who were victims of child s*x trafficking had been involved with child welfare services?
Join Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project, United Against Human Trafficking, and Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition TOMORROW JUNE 16, for a panel discussion on Foster Kids and Human Trafficking.
Katya Dow
Register here: https://lnkd.in/duTBEVr
Join United Against Human Trafficking, Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition and Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project (JCAP)'s for a panel discussion on Foster Kids and Human Trafficking.
Wednesday, June 16
12:00 pm
Zoom registration here: https://lnkd.in/gHk2FDv
Join United Against Human Trafficking, Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition and Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project (JCAP)'s for a panel discussion on Foster Kids and Human Trafficking.
Wednesday, June 16
12:00 pm
Zoom registration here: https://lnkd.in/gHk2FDv
Restoring Justice
Harris County Youth Collective
Foster Care Advocacy Center
Houston's Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation
Restoring Justice
Harris County Youth Collective
Foster Care Advocacy Center
Houston's Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation
CLE Alert! Katya Dow and Houston Volunteer Lawyers are partnering again for the New Attorney Pro Bono Project to offer a Juvenile Record Sealing CLE. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zxwrPO3QS76pzjf8wNo9NQ
CLE Alert! Katya Dow and Houston Volunteer Lawyers are partnering again for the New Attorney Pro Bono Project to offer a Juvenile Record Sealing CLE. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zxwrPO3QS76pzjf8wNo9NQ
We need to rethink how we work with youth with dual-system involvement. Thank you Texas Appleseed for this eloquent and thought-provoking snapshot of the obstacles facing our must vulnerable youth. Katya Dow
#advocate
#traumainformed
CLE Alert!
Trauma-Informed care is a critical tool in working with dual-system youth. https://tinyurl.com/5d9zpyha
#Educate
#advocate.
CLE Alert!
Trauma-Informed care is a critical tool in working with dual-system youth. https://tinyurl.com/5d9zpyha
#Educate
#advocate.
Juvenile Record Sealing for Indigent Clients
Monday, March 8, 12:00 pm
Presented by Katya Dow in collaboration with Houston Volunteer Lawyers
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0SV8I-cVTZ2tGSgEQeiH2g
Juvenile Record Sealing for Indigent Clients
Monday, March 8, 12:00 pm
Presented by Katya Dow in collaboration with Houston Volunteer Lawyers
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0SV8I-cVTZ2tGSgEQeiH2g
JCAP’s Katya Dow enjoyed participating in this thought-provoking panel discussion presented by TCJC.
Important investigation into what is happening in our detention centers by Texas Appleseed and Disability Rights Texas.
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/21/texas-juvenile-justice-department-abuse/
The request is the latest chapter in a scandal-plagued recent history for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, which has experienced high turnover rates among staff and leadership.
The Juvenile and Children’s Advocacy Project is honored to receive $50,000 from the Greater Houston Community Foundation, through the Harris County Youth Collective. We are grateful to both organizations for their support and of our programs to provide quality legal services and zealous advocacy for minority and underprivileged youth in Harris County.
CC: University of Houston Law Center
City of Galveston launches federally funded rental assistance program
Galveston city residents struggling to keep pace with monthly rent during the COVID-19 pandemic will have the opportunity to apply for a federally funded rental assistance program this week that could cover up to three months of rent, security deposits or utility bills. The city announced Friday it....
"A 15-year-old in Michigan was incarcerated during the coronavirus pandemic after a judge ruled that not completing her schoolwork violated her probation. 'It just doesn’t make any sense,' said the girl’s mother."
We agree. This makes no sense.
A 15-year-old in Michigan was incarcerated during the coronavirus pandemic after a judge ruled that not completing her schoolwork violated her probation. “It just doesn’t make any sense,” said the girl’s mother.
Our staff attorney, Christina Beeler, recently partnered with The Implicit Bias Initiative Team, including ONE Houston, to create this video about the school-to-prison pipeline and how to draft more inclusive student codes of conduct. Please share with your networks!
This week, school systems across the city are releasing plans to return to school. This is not an easy task and we are sending our support to those leaders (many of you!) navigating these decisions.
The Implicit Bias Initiative Team remains committed to our values of equity, systems change, and community engagement. In addition to COVID-19, communities across the country are experiencing unrest across lines of racial difference. We see systemic inequities manifesting daily and it reinforces that this work is more urgent than ever.
We have taken time to understand our new reality, adjust our strategy, and continue to ensure that we reduce the number of schools aged Houstonians in the juvenile justice system. We thank you for being part of Houston's path forward.
There is significant disproportionality in virtually every aspect of education, and it is incredibly clear in disciplinary practices. The Breaking School Rules report found that while students of all races are removed from campuses for mandatory violations at equivalent rates, African American students, followed by Latino students, were removed for discretionary violations at significantly higher rates than their white peers, indicating racial bias in disciplinary decision making.
Redesigning a school district’s code of conduct that are leading the most to exclusionary discipline to be equity-driven and restorative-focused, such as eliminating dress code violations as it relates to hair or other elements of personal identity is an important step forward to reaching the Implicit Bias project's goals. Please take time to watch ONE Houston and Implicit Bias work group member Christina Beeler discuss student codes of conduct and share widely with system leaders, principals, and community members that may wish to learn more. Introduction by ONE Houston member Darren Dubose. If your system would like to begin to review and revise your code of conduct, please message us.
ACLU of Texas
On Monday the Barbers Hill ISD Board of Trustees denied grievances from De’Andre Arnold and Kaden Bradford, two Black students who wear locs, over the district’s discriminatory hair policy.
The board could have taken this moment to revise its policies to be inclusive and affirming of all students, regardless of s*x and race – but it didn't.
We, Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund hoped that the district would change its policies now, without waiting for a federal court to tell them, and force them, to do what’s right.
Our staff attorney, Christina Beeler, was on Houston Public Media’s Houston Matters this morning talking about De’Andre Arnold and Kaden Bradford’s effective expulsions from Barbers Hill ISD for their culturally significant locs. If you missed the interview, you can hear it at this link.
On Wednesday's show: Legal challenges to student suspensions, new developments in politics, staying mentally healthy in quarantine, and what we can glean from fighting diseases of the past.
Tune in to Houston Public Media's Houston Matters tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM to hear our staff attorney, Christina Beeler, talk about this case.
Hair discrimination is racism, and Barbers Hill ISD's policy and its racist enforcement is unconstitutional and in violation of federal law.
The district's grooming policy and discipline sparked national attention, as the students and many advocates called it an example of hair discrimination.
This Monday at 3 pm, the Barbers Hill ISD school board is holding a virtual meeting to hear the grievance appeals of Kaden Bradford and De’Andre Arnold, who were both suspended in January for wearing locs.
JCAP and the ACLU of Texas are urging the school board to change its discriminatory policies and to allow Kaden to return to school this fall without being forced to cut his natural Black hair.
On our blog, you can read Kaden’s appeal letter and find the link to watch the hearing or sign up to give public comment by e-mailing the school district by Monday at noon.
Link to De’Andre’s appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show in the comments.
The Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project of Texas is a vocal advocate for Harris County juveniles and adults affected by the juvenile justice system through efforts dedicated to juvenile record sealing, direct representation for dual-status youth, and mentorship.
JCAP is so proud of Nahyle and her outstanding accomplishments!
PRAISE REPORT 🤗
➖
Last year, the Honey Brown Hope Foundation honored Fort Bend ISD Thurgood Marshall senior with the "Peacekeeper Award" for her courage and activism.
She was suspended from Thurgood Marshall High School after trying to verbally deescalate a fight between fellow students. Founder Tammie Lang Campbell and Attorney Christine Beeler of Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project stepped in to address that the suspension was rooted in FBISD's pattern of unjustly penalizing Black students.
As a result of Campbell's and Beeler's advocacy, FBISD issued a formal apology and removed the three-day suspension from her record.
Fast forward to now, and she has graduated Magna Cum Laude! Congratulations, young lady 🎓🙌🎉!
University of Houston
George Floyd was a member of our Third Ward community and we share in the tremendous pain our community is experiencing. Our thoughts are with his friends and family, Houston and the nation at large. We mourn with you.
Like our colleagues at Texas Appleseed, JCAP believes that Black Lives Matter. We see you. We hear you. We stand with you.
Our response to this moment. You can read it in full at this link:
https://www.texasappleseed.org/our-response-moment
One of our school clients, Malek Al Rafai, is highlighted in this article. Our staff attorney, Christina Beeler, is quoted about the letter we recently sent to Houston-area districts to ask them to commit to counting distance-learning days toward JJAEP and DAEP placements.
We've heard back from 10 of the 20 districts to which we sent the letter. Of those 10, 9 committed to counting distance-learning days toward both DAEP and JJAEP placements (Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, Clear Creek ISD, Conroe ISD, Cy-Fair ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Huffman ISD, Lamar Consolidated ISD, and Spring Branch ISD). 1 committed to counting distance-learning days toward DAEP (Houston ISD). 8 have not responded, and 2 have said they will get a decision to us soon.
Notably, Fort Bend ISD and Huffman ISD said that no JJAEP or DAEP placements will extend beyond the academic year and that all students in both districts will start back at their home campuses in August 2020. Huffman ISD is even using buses as mobile hotspots for areas in their district with kids who do not have internet access.
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD asked all secondary principals to consider reducing or waiving removals to DAEP and expulsions to JJAEP for non-violent offenses. Several principals have used their discretion to waive entire placements, and all remaining placements have been reduced and will not extend beyond the end of the school year. All elementary DAEP placements were waived.
We hope that other school districts will consider modeling their own approaches after the approaches of Cy-Fair ISD, Fort Bend ISD, and Huffman ISD.
Students enrolled in disciplinary alternative schools in a bind during pandemic
Advocates: Houston-Area Students In Alternative Schools Need ‘Fresh Start’ After COVID | Houston Public Media
Advocates argue that the students -- separated for things like dress code violations, lashing out at teachers or getting into fights -- shouldn't face additional consequences "for something that is so out of their control."
Our staff attorney, Christina Beeler, was interviewed by Laura Isensee for this article.
Kids deserve a fresh start when they return to school in August.
If a school district were to decide not to count distance-learning days for purposes of school discipline during this challenging time, students of color, students with disabilities, and students in low-income households would be disproportionately affected.
We sent the letter featured in this article to 20 Houston-area school districts. 5 of 20 have responded so far and have committed to counting distance-learning days toward school discipline: Alief ISD, Clear Creek ISD, Conroe ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, and Lamar-Consolidated ISD.
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD's approach is particularly notable. They are not only counting distance-learning days. They also waived all elementary school DAEP placements and asked all secondary principals to consider waiving or reducing placements and expulsions for non-violent offenses. We hope all districts will consider adopting a similar approach.
Advocates argue that the students -- separated for things like dress code violations, lashing out at teachers or getting into fights -- shouldn't face additional consequences "for something that is so out of their control."
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