Improving Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System

When:            
Thursday, November 12, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time  

Who:              
Catherine Gallagher, Justice, Law and Crime Policy Program, George Mason University Seema Gajwani, Public Welfare Foundation

What:             
The juvenile justice system in the United States was established over a century ago to provide treatment and services to children and youth in trouble. Rising rates of violent juvenile crime in the 1990s blurred some of the divisions between the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. Consequently, laws passed in nearly all states allowed, under certain circumstances, young people to be tried in criminal court, receive harsher sentences, and be incarcerated in the same correctional facilities as adults. Over time, funders and experts in the field increasingly have been working to promote a more equitable, appropriate, and effective system for providing rehabilitation, support, and protection to juvenile offenders.

This call explores continuing issues in the field, as well as innovative approaches funders are taking to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for youth through systems change at the national, state, and local levels.  

Resource:
Models for Change, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
www.modelsforchange.net