Center for Children's Law and Policy

12/23/2022

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the holiday rush. After all, presents won’t wrap themselves. During this season of giving, it’s easy to help people you can see; school coat drives, the homeless man begging on street corners, Toys for Tots. It’s also easy to forget the benefit one person can have on the lives of people they can’t see.

The benefits of getting books in the hands of young people are incredibly important. The right book can change their world, and in turn, help them change our world. In this holiday season, wouldn’t you like to help change the world for one of these children?

Here’s how you can help: Visit our Amazon Wish List at BIT.LY/amazonbookdrive and select a book you’d like to send to the new library at Charleston County Juvenile Detention Center. Your gift will place a book in the hands of the children who need them so incredibly much.

We all know that solitary confinement is torture, and one of the ways we can help the devastating effect it can have on a child’s mind is by providing a healthy outlet for them, educating them, and showing the world they are people. This holiday season, we can do that with books. Will you help?

12/22/2022

is holding a book drive in partnership with the Charleston County Juvenile Detention Center, , , and . We need your help to get books in the hands of kids that need it most!

bit.ly/amazonbookdrive

12/04/2022

Our friends at IImpact Justiceare hiring a Senior Program Associate, Culture Change and Senior Program Specialist, Oversight, to support the important work of the PREA Resource Center. Find the postings here: https://impactjustice.org/about-us/careers/ -openings. Deadline to apply is 12/8!

12/01/2022

Dear friends,

We did it. Because of you, we were able to raise an incredible amount
in just 24 hours on this .

The passion and care you have shown keep us going as we continue the fight to change the lives of children in the youth justice system.

To keep up with our work and to see how you have helped, please follow us at , , , on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you again for your generous support.

Many thanks,
Sangeeta, Jason, Erika, Tiana, Gina, Jenny, Annie, Sheri, and Veronica

11/29/2022

2022- Today is the Day! - https://mailchi.mp/cclp.org/givingtuesdaytodayistheday

Dear Friends,

Today is the day! We need your support. If you have not yet donated to helping the fight for equity and justice, this is your chance, https://cclp.org/donate. Unfair policies and dangerous practices in the system today are hurting our youth and need to be changed. YOU can help us do that.


Your donations thus far have contributed to:

Developing policies in over 35 states to reduce the mistreatment and incarceration of kids in the justice system.


Propelling our Stop Solitary for Kids Campaign which continues to gain national media attention.


Launching our Not in Isolation: Voices of Youth podcast that elevates the voices of young people directly impacted by incarceration and solitary confinement.

And so much more.

Your support has allowed us to continue to work in the places where kids need our help the most and every donation magnifies our advocacy for America's young people.

Please join us.

Many thanks,

Sangeeta, Jason, Erika, Tiana, Annie, Jenny, Gina, Sheri and Veronica

11/28/2022

2022 - https://mailchi.mp/cclp.org/givingtuesday2022

11/23/2022

In almost every community in this country, youth of color are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. Many jurisdictions have studied this problem, but far fewer have taken action to combat these disparities. 

The Center for Children’s Law and Policy have helped dozens of jurisdictions implement reforms that have a measurable and positive impact on youth of color.  

Our organization offers training and technical assistance to jurisdictions on a wide range of topics, including implicit bias, how to talk about race, enhancing diversion opportunities, and a range of other issues.

To learn more about our training and technical assistance opportunities please visit our resources page: https://cclp.org/racial-and-ethnic-disparities-resources/ 

11/23/2022

Did you know probation is the most widely used disposition for youth with nearly a half-million young people given some form of probation annually? It serves as a critical gatekeeper to determine whether young people are placed in residential institutions. Probation plays a significant role in perpetuating the vast overrepresentation of African-American, Latino and other youth of color in our nation’s justice systems.

Several jurisdictions have focused on transforming youth probation into a focused intervention that promotes personal growth, positive behavior changes and long-term success for youth who pose significant risks for serious offending.

To read more: https://www.aecf.org/resources/transforming-juvenile-probation #

11/18/2022

Many states have passed laws limiting solitary confinement for kids. Federal lawsuits have challenged youth solitary. There is still much work to be done.

Visit our Stop Solitary for Kids website at https://stopsolitaryforkids.org to read more about examples of change and what you can do to help abolish this practice in our Not in Isolation report https://bit.ly/3Tv2NA1 . Also check out the states in RED and how they are taking action. 

11/16/2022

There are effective ways to hold youth accountable without using solitary confinement. Research & experience show that solitary makes youth and staff less safe. There ARE better solutions.

Youth should also be part of our conversation to end solitary confinement. Hear from the real experts - directly-impacted young people – about their experiences in solitary and their insights on how we can change the system to achieve meaningful outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Check out our youth-led podcast, Not in Isolation: Voices of Youth at https://bit.ly/3A5OY4b to learn more.

11/14/2022

What would you do if you were confined to a room the size of a parking spot for weeks, months, and even years? Thousands of kids are in solitary confinement right now. Studies have shown that isolation causes profound long-term damage to the emotional and psychological well-being of kids.

Putting kids in solitary dramatically increases their risk of self-harm of su***de. Over 50% of kids who committed su***de in juvenile facilities did so in solitary confinement. Being arrested as a child shouldn’t be a death sentence.

Swipe to read from a youth’s experience how it feels to be in solitary confinement.

With your donations, you can help us put an to this dangerous practice.

11/10/2022

Real change starts with the decision to ACT. Here are 5 ways that you can start giving TODAY!

1) SHARE our mission by donating your expertise and resources to youth-serving nonprofits in your community

2) LISTEN to our youth-led podcast, , https://notinisolation.buzzsprout.com/ which centers the experiences of young people inside youth prisons and in solitary confinement – and their ideas for how to change the system

3) FOLLOW us at , , on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for regular news and updates

4) DONATE today at https://cclp.org/donate

5) INSPIRE OTHERS AND RAISE AWARENESS by sharing how you took action to help children on social media with

11/08/2022

Each member of our staff plays an integral role in our mission to safely reduce and ultimately end the dangerous practice of solitary confinement in juvenile and adult facilities. While we all come from various backgrounds and have different strengths, our common goal continues to be protecting the rights of children in youth legal systems. For additional information on our work, check out our resources page at https://cclp.org , and our Stop Solitary for Kids Campaign at https://stopsolitaryforkids.org .

Can’t wait? Make a donation today at https://cclp.org/donate !

11/07/2022

What’s the best way to convince facilities to stop using ? Show them an example that works.

Thank you to our Promising Practice Sites:
& Utah JJYS


https://einnews.com/article/598388211/illinois-department-of-juvenile-justice-hosts-states-working-toward-juvenile-justice-reform

11/04/2022

We’re Putting Kids in Maximum-Security Prisons. In America.

CCLP’s former Director, Mark Soler, on the certain and serious danger that ’s plan will cause and why better alternatives should still be on the table.

Louisiana is relocating minors to Angola, the nation’s largest adult maximum security prison.

11/04/2022

Save the Date! is just 5 weeks away! Please remember to follow us to find out all the ways you can help make a difference for young people in legal systems. Every donation keeps CCLP in the fight for equity and justice!

Save the Date! is just 5 weeks away! Please remember to follow us to find out all the ways you can help make a difference for young people in legal systems. Every donation keeps CCLP in the fight for equity and justice!

11/01/2022

November kicks off Month! This year, is on November 29th and it is a day that encourages people to do good. A global movement that started in 2012 with a simple idea has grown and inspired hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

The Center for Children’s Law and Policy’s advocacy for kids in the youth legal systems through policy changes, systems reform, race equity and changing hearts and minds could not succeed without your ongoing commitment to our work. Please support us on November 29th for this day of giving or you can donate at https:// cclp.org/donate!

10/28/2022

Oct. 28th is — a day to raise our voices for girls and spread awareness about their involvement in the juvenile and criminal legal systems.

10/28/2022

Readings From Hell Is A Very Small Place

Halloween is the October headline in the United States--a holiday where we lean into manufactured horror like haunted houses and gruesome horror movies. Meanwhile, real horror is ever present in the carceral system that is tearing apart communities across the nation--and thousands of advocates are fighting to transform a system that perpetuates violence and causes harm into a system that decarcerates, supports and rehabilitates.

This virtual event will uplift the work of these advocates while raising awareness of the inhumane conditions of solitary confinement. In this event, we bring together an intimate group of survivors, advocates, and thought leaders to read short excerpts from the book Hell is A Very Small Place, each followed by short reactions/discussions.

Each person has been chosen because they can speak from lived experience and represent the change we’re hoping to create in the system. Our participants are both survivors and activists--and they represent the youth, disability rights, racial justice, and legislative art components.

10/27/2022

Sign Up for a Virtual Live Reading of excerpts from Editors Jean Casella, James Ridgeway & Sarah Shourd's book .

Read by , , Swey Pineda & Vanessa Ramos, and MC'd by Nafeesa Goldsmith, we bring together an intimate group of survivors, advocates, and thought leaders, each followed by short reactions/discussions.

RSVP for October 27th @ 8PM ET/ 5PM PT!

SIGN UP NOW!
https://unlocktheboxcampaign.org/hvsp/

CC:
,

10/27/2022

Save the Date for a Virtual Live Reading of excerpts from Editors Jean Casella, James Ridgeway & Sarah Shourd's book .

Read by Sarah Shourd, Dolores Canales, Vanessa Ramos, Swey Pineda, & MC: Nafeesa Goldsmith, we bring together an intimate group of survivors, advocates, and thought leaders, each followed by short reactions/ discussions.

RSVP for October 27th @ 8PM ET/ 5PM PT!
https://unlocktheboxcampaign.org/hvsp/


Co-Sponsors: UTB, Solitary Watch, NRCAT, Children's Center for Law and Policy, and The New Press publishing.

10/26/2022

TOMORROW 8PM LIVE: Our own podcast co-creator, youth advocate Swey Pineda, in the Virtual Reading of Essays from Survivors of -
SIGN UP NOW
https://unlocktheboxcampaign.org/hvsp/

10/25/2022

: Investing in youth opportunity, not youth prisons. RT to amplify youth voices

10/24/2022

Youth impacted by the justice system told us what to them: Abolition, Prevention, Restorative Justice, Equity and Opportunities. Let’s listen! RT

10/21/2022

asking how our youth will lead us tomorrow and looking at how we treat them today. How can we lift up the leaders of tomorrow if we never give them a chance to grow? Behind the barbed wire and locked cells of juvenile jails and prisons, our young people struggle to prepare for adulthood in the face of violence and trauma. Too often, they don’t get the skills and guidance that all kids need. Too often, their spirits are broken. Our Black and brown youth entangled in systems are just as worthy of childhood. Kids find their footing when systems develop and support them rather than punish and control them.

Join us as we work to abolish discrimination, end isolation, and reduce incarceration. You can help us raise awareness by listening to and sharing our youth-led podcast, https://notinisolation.buzzsprout.com, and checking out our resources, https://cclp.org, for additional information. Follow our podcast, “Not in Isolation – Voices of Youth” on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about how you can act, please follow , , , , , and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

10/17/2022

acknowledging the harms caused to youth by “lock them up” responses. Listen to Not In Isolation: Voices of Youth, a podcast from the Stop Solitary for Kids coalition to hear about the harm of youth solitary confinement. https://notinisolation.buzzsprout.com

10/14/2022

Young people in our legal systems, especially youth of color and youth with disabilities, need a chance to grow, develop and thrive. As the White House has highlighted, “Every child in America deserves a fair shot through good schools, safe communities, and equal opportunities.” But some 36,000 young Americans remain confined in juvenile residential facilities, too often trapped in unsafe environments and facing adult charges or severe sentences. They are living with untreated trauma that keeps them from moving forward, without access to the services and education they need to grow.

Join us as we work to abolish discrimination, end isolation, and reduce incarceration. You can help us raise awareness by listening to and sharing our youth-led podcast, https://notinisolation.buzzsprout.com, and checking out our resources, https://cclp.org, for additional information. Follow our podcast, “Not in Isolation – Voices of Youth” on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about how you can act, please follow , , , , , and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

10/14/2022

Ensuring no child is ever tried as an adult in court. Existing federal legislation is a start and more needs to be done to protect children from adult court. Learn more about how we can protect kids. https://bit.ly/3yDNOw1

10/13/2022

We’re standing up for as part of Youth Justice Action Month and the National Week Against School Pushout. All youth deserve to feel safe, and police in schools don’t get us there. School police create harm and fuel the school-to-prison pipeline especially for youth of color and youth with disabilities.

Safety is sacred for all children and youth, and we need that prioritizes the physical, emotional and mental safety of everyone. We can make our vision a reality when we all work together!

10/07/2022

CCLP's Staff Attorney on what Justice is to her: " ALL kids having access to the resources, tools, and supports they need to thrive, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other aspects of identity."

10/07/2022

CCLP's Staff Attorney on what Justice is to her: " ALL kids having access to the resources, tools, and supports they need to thrive, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other aspects of identity."