“When we first started advocating against punitive juvenile justice legislation in Tennessee, we were told that these bills would be impossible to stop, due to the power of the legislators behind them. We have now done the impossible twice; the power of Tennesseans united for justice should never be underestimated. Our state is home to […]
Join our event on September 19th!
Please join us on Tuesday, September 19th at noon PT for an engaging discussion focused on the first 45 years of the Youth Law Center’s work transforming foster care and juvenile justice systems across the country through legal advocacy and innovation. Featuring our Executive Director, members of our Board of Directors, Nancy Wiltsek of the […]
Our New Impact Report is Available Online
Now in our fifth decade of fighting for justice systems-involved children and youth, we have released our new impact report chronicling our hard won victories, and our ongoing work using the law to create real and sustainable changes in the lives of children and youth. We invite you to read the report here: https://www.ylc.org/2023-impact-report/
Preventing the criminalization and incarceration of children and youth in Tennessee
As advocates for youth in the youth justice system, we are disturbed to see the Governor of Tennessee and legislature propose increasing youth incarceration as a response to the tragic mass shooting at The Covenant School. While Governor Lee and legislators continue to argue that youth crime is a huge problem, the Tennessee Bureau of […]