At the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative conference, attendees discuss how we can rely less on incarceration for juveniles (and consequently, be more trauma-informed).
At the morning plenary of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)conference in Philadelphia, the 800 juvenile justice reform leaders in the room had a real treat — one that resonated with me professionally and personally.Van Jones, co-anchor of CNN’s Crossfire, former advisor to President Obama and founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, talked about ways we could build on the reform constituency we are forging to build fairer, more effective youth justice systems that are less reliant on incarceration and enhance community safety by creating opportunities for young people.
Jones talked about his initial first-hand encounter with biases in the justice system, describing how he arrived at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and noticed that a high percentage of young people on campus could accurately be described as “nonviolent drug offenders.” Having attended Yale and engaged in my fair share of “youthful indiscretions” during my own college years, I can personally attest to that reality.
http://jjie.org/op-ed-unlikely-alliance-promotes-de-incarceration-of-young-people/107003/
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