Register for the 2014 Annual Conference!
The 2014 Annual Conference will focus on "Looking Back, Planning Ahead: A Vision for the Next 40 Years in Juvenile Justice." Join us as we celebrate CJJ's 30th Anniversary along with the 40th Anniversary of the JJDPA! There will be a keynote address by OJJDP Administrator Robert Listenbee, Jr., thematic workshop/training tracks, informative general sessions and plenaries, and much more! You can view the draft agenda here. Exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities are available at the 2014 CJJ Annual Conference. For more information click here or contact Marc Fomby at [email protected] or 601-939-0020. Register today!
Call for Executive Board Nominations
We are now accepting nominations for members of the CJJ Executive Board. Executive Board members represent the interests of SAGs, state staff and other stakeholders, set CJJ's organizational strategy, mission and goals, oversee the financial and legal affairs of CJJ, and ensure the steady and sustainable growth of the organization. The positions to be elected in June include:
- Treasurer/Secretary
- National Youth Chair
- Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Chair
- Juvenile Justice Specialist Representative
- Northeast Regional Chair
- Southern Regional Chair
- Midwest Regional Chair
- Western Regional Chair
Nominations are due May 8, 2014. Click here for the nomination form. Please contact Lisa Pilnik at [email protected] with any questions.
Webinar: Exploring the Options, Benefits, and Future of CJJ Membership
Please join CJJ for a webinar and open discussion on "ABCs of CJJ Membership: Exploring the Options, Benefits, and Future of CJJ Membership" on April 24 at 2:30 pm EST. Participants will learn about CJJ's membership options and will learn how they can become a CJJ member. This webinar hopes to answer questions and address concerns regarding CJJ membership. It will conclude with an open discussion on CJJ membership and strategies to enhance the sources that CJJ provides its members. We will also discuss CJJ's goals over the coming years and members' role in defining the direction and scope of our future work.
Register now!
SOS Project
New DMC Policy Brief on Status Offenses
CJJ recently released the second policy brief in our Emerging Issues series, entitled "Disproportionate Minority Contact and Status Offenses." The brief examines the data deficit on disproportionality among status offenders and the implications for juvenile justice reform. The brief was released as a follow up to the National Standards for the Care of Youth Charged with Status Offenses, as part of CJJ's SOS Project.
SOS Project
New Policy Guidance and Webinar on LGBTQ Youth
Earlier this month, CJJ, the Human Rights Campaign and the Equity Project hosted a webinar on LGBTQ Youth and Status Offenses. You can watch the recording of the webinar on the CJJ website. Read Youth Today's article about the webinar here. CJJ also released policy guidance on LGBTQ Youth and Status Offenses. The guidance focuses on improving system responses and reducing disproportionality.
SOS Project
Five Ways to Stop Criminalizing Victimized GirlsJeannette Pai-Espinosa, President of the
Crittenton Foundation, penned an op-ed in Women's eNews, entitled
Five Ways to Stop Criminalizing Victimized Girls. In the article, she discusses the high rate at which girls are arrested for status offenses. She encourages organizations to adopt the
National Standards for the Care of Youth Charged with Status Offenses.
Kids for Cash Discussion Guides
Would your State Advisory Group like to host a screening of Kids For Cash? CJJ has received 50 copies of the new Kids for Cash discussion guide from Active Voice and SenArt Films. The discussion guide includes additional background and context about the film and related issues, and can be used to spark meaningful discussion and action. If your SAG would like to receive a hard copy of the guide, please email Katie Mercier at [email protected].
The Right Message, the Right Mentor
At the age of 17, Dante Cottingham was waived to the adult criminal court system, convicted, sentenced to a lengthy term of imprisonment and then transferred to an adult maximum security prison. He's currently serving his 18th year of incarceration in the New Lisbon Correctional Institute. While incarcerated he obtained his paralegal degree and has become a passionate advocate for juvenile justice reform in America. He recently penned a blog post for CJJ, in which he describes what inspires him to create the IOU future program. He spotlights the details of the program and shares with us why he thinks it will be effective. Read the full blog post here.
Promising Practices for Runaway Youth
We are interested in learning about promising programs/interventions for youth who have run away. We would like learn more about specific programs, practices, or interventions that we can highlight in our work. Please contact Jonathan Litt, CJJ's Policy and Field Relations Associate at [email protected].
Internship Openings
Our office is looking to hire two or more interns. The full internship descriptions and instructions on how to apply are available on the CJJ website.
Federal Policy Alert Now Available
We recently began a series of bi-weekly, subscriber-only updates on key federal policy and legislative activity related to juvenile justice. Sign up now!
Models for Change Connections
Juvenile Defense Attorneys: A Critical Protection Against Injustice
The National Juvenile Defender Center just released a new white paper entitled, Juvenile Defense Attorneys: A Critical Protection Against Injustice. The paper is designed to engage key system stakeholders in juvenile defense reform and outlines three key challenges that are unique to representing indigent children, and walks through meeting these challenges.
Act4JJ Collects Stories about the JJDPA
As part of the events surrounding the JJDPA's 40th Anniversary, Act4JJ is collecting 40 short stories that use real lives and experiences to illustrate the JJDPA's policy and systems impact. For example: a young person can share his story of how he was given the option of an alternative to prison and chose to complete that program; he's now in college. Similarly, an expert could put together a short video telling the story of his experience working with youth before JJDPA. Groups and individuals with potential stories are asked to send their information to Caitlin Johnson, at [email protected] by April 30.
NJJN News
Towards a Better Juvenile Justice System
The National Juvenile Justice Network just released a new concept paper, "A House Divided No More: Common Cause for Juvenile Justice Advocates, Victim Advocates, and Communities." The paper is intended as the first step in building a new approach to youth justice reform: one that advocates a more holistic approach to justice system advocacy and emphasizes investment in the needs of all people who are affected when a crime occurs. NJJN will also host the upcoming webinar, "Common Cause for Youth Justice and Victims' Rights Advocates: Where Do We Start and Where Are We Going?" on Apr. 21, 2014, at 1pm EST. Register here.
NJJN News
Meet Natalie Collier, Leader in Youth Justice
Every month, NJJN interviews a participant in NJJN's Youth Justice Leadership Institute. This month, NJJN spoke with Natalie Collier, a regional youth organizer at the Children's Defense Fund's regional office in Jackson, Mississippi.
"[The Institute] is important because it affirms the fellows professionally and ... personally. [It] is especially important to be lifted up by people who look like you, who do the same types of things you do, have the same passions that you do. They know if you're genuine or not. They know if you're doing it for the pat on the back or if you're doing it to make a change. You get that in the Institute. "
-- Natalie Collier, 2013-14 Youth Justice Leadership Institute Fellow
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