At community forums organized by the New York Center for Juvenile Justice, parents are turning out to talk about a pressing issue affecting teenagers and their families: In New York, 16 and 17 year olds arecharged as adults for all crimes. Most other states set the “age of criminal responsibility” at 18; only New York and North Carolina set it at 16.
Michael Corriero, executive director of the New York Center for … Read More
My son’s involvement with the juvenile justice system started withcigarettes. When he was 12 years old, Corey was suspended from school for smoking and having a lighter in his pocket. This suspension was the first of many, all related to smoking. I repeatedly asked the school for help and was repeatedly told they had no help to give.
Near the end of that school year, Corey had his first involvement with police. … Read More
This summer, Justice for Families (J4F), a national alliance of grassroots organizations working to change the juvenile justicesystem, published Families Unlocking Futures, a report by and about parents whose children are caught up in the juvenile justice system. The report argues that parents need to be seen as part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Grace Bauer, co-director of J4F, has been fighting to change conditions for incarcerated youth for … Read More
For the past year, I’ve been helping parents who are at risk of losing their children to foster care. My role is to attend Child SafetyConferences, meetings held by child protective services in New York City to decide whether a child should go into foster care or if there is a safe way to keep the child at home.
The conferences are held 24 hours after a case is called in. Parents … Read More
