National Juvenile Justice Network

THE NATIONAL JUVENILE JUSTICE NETWORK (NJJN) CREATES SMALLER, FAIRER AND MORE EFFECTIVE YOUTH JUSTICE SYSTEMS THROUGH A MOVEMENT OF STATE-BASED CHANGE AGENTS.

CORE PROGRAMMINGNJJN IS A DIVERSE ANTI-RACIST MOVEMENT-BUILDING ORGANIZATION MADE UP OF INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN 43 STATES WORKING TO DECONSTRUCT HARMFUL YOUTH LEGAL SYSTEMS THROUGH THREE CORE PROGRAM AREAS: ADVOCACY (STATE AND FEDERAL POLICY AND PUBLICATIONS), LEADERSHIP (YOUTH JUSTICE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE AND YOUNG LEADERS SUPPORTS, AND NETWORKING (WEBINARS, CALLS, AND CONFERENCES). ADVOCACY PROGRAM: THROUGH OUR ADVOCACY PROGRAM, NJJN'S COMMUNITY PASSED ADVANCES IN 35 STATES TO BETTER OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TO FURTHER THESE EFFORTS, NJJN LED PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS ON THE NEED TO RAISE THE MINIMUM AGE OF YOUTH PROSECUTION, END FOR PROFIT CONFINEMENT OF YOUTH, AND IMPLEMENT RACIAL IMPACT STATEMENTS AS WELL AS STATE BASED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS. LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: NJJN'S CORE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM YOUTH JUSTICE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (YJLI) REACHED A MILESTONE IN 2021, AS IT CELEBRATED 10 YEARS OF PREPARING ADVOCATES OF COLOR TO LEAD THE YOUTH JUSTICE MOVEMENT. OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, NEARLY 100 ALUMNI HAVE COME THROUGH YJLI AND GONE ON TO LEAD SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY, RUN FOR POLITICAL OFFICE, CHAMPION LEGISLATIVE REFORM AND MUCH MORE. IN 2021, YJLI WELCOMED ITS 11TH COHORT WITH NINE NEW ADVOCATES. IN DECEMBER, WE ALSO LAUNCHED THE YOUTH JUSTICE INSTITUTE ALUMNI FUND TO CULTIVATE IDEAS ON RACE, YOUTH JUSTICE, AND MANY OTHER AREAS OF INTERSECTION THAT IMPACT YOUTH AND PEOPLE OF COLOR ACROSS THE COUNTRY. NETWORKING PROGRAM: NJJN EXPANDED ITS NETWORKING PROGRAMMING BEYOND ITS NATIONAL FORUM TO ALSO HOST YOUTH JUSTICE ADVOCACY MONTH. DURING OUR JULY CONFERENCE, NJJN'S COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE ALL YOUTH HAVE THE SUPPORTS AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO THRIVE, WHILE ALSO TAKING TIME TO CENTER SELF-CARE PRACTICES. THIS RESULTED IN A COLLECTIVE VISION OF JUSTICE AND A ROADMAP TO ANTI-RACISM. IN 2021, NJJN HOSTED YOUTH JUSTICE ACTION (YJAM) MONTH FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH OUR PARTNER THE COALITION FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE. THE MONTH FEATURED MULTIPLE WEBINARS, TRAININGS, DISCUSSIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVATIONS, AND ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS ALL AIMED AT BUILDING AWARENESS FOR A NEW VISION OF JUSTICE CENTERED ON HEALING AND TRAUMA-INFORMED, COMMUNITY-BASED CARE. THE WHITE HOUSE, U.S. SENATE AND THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ALL RECOGNIZED OCTOBER AS YOUTH JUSTICE ACTION MONTH. YJAM SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVATIONS REACHED 15 MILLION PEOPLE, WITH OVER 500 REGISTRANTS FOR NJJN'S WORKSHOPS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS.

COVID-19 YOUTH DECARCERATION RESEARCH (JPI)IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JUSTICE POLICY INSTITUTE, THE NATIONAL JUVENILE JUSTICE NETWORK (NJJN) PARTNERED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH TO DETERMINE WHICH SITES ACROSS THE COUNTRY SUCCESSFULLY REDUCED YOUTH DETENTION AND INCARCERATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. PARTNERING WITH SEVEN STATES, NJJN CONDUCTED FOCUS GROUPS WITH VARIOUS ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES TO DECARCERATE YOUTH FACILITIES. FUNDS FROM THIS PROJECT WERE USED TO STIPEND MEMBERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT IN CONDUCTING ON THE GROUND RESEARCH AS WELL AS PRODUCE BEST PRACTICE PUBLICATIONS.

GRANTMAKINGNJJN'S AWARDED 20 ORGANIZATIONS COVID-19 MICRO-GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE DIRECT NEEDS OF YOUTH AND FAMILIES IMPACTED BY THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, THESE GRANTS SUPPORTED A VARIETY OF NEEDS SUCH AS PROVIDING COMPUTERS AND WI-FI HOTSPOTS FOR FAMILIES TO VIRTUALLY VISIT WITH YOUTH IN DETENTION, STIPENDS FOR YOUTH ORGANIZERS OR OTHER COMMUNITY NEEDS.