Movement Lawyering to Support Youth Justice Transformation

The Youth Law Center provides movement lawyering support to the California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice, with the goal of building the power of directly impacted youth and families and helping to transform the youth justice system so that it centers youth healing and wellbeing. California’s juvenile justice system is in a moment of significant transition. The state has closed its youth prisons and realigned all juvenile justice functions to the county level. While the closure of the state’s abusive youth prison facilities is long overdue, this realignment presents a serious risk of increased youth incarceration in county juvenile facilities due to lack of transparency and lack of oversight of 58 separate county systems. Further, because of systemic racism that persists in every stage of the juvenile delinquency system, and most especially in rates of detention and commitment, youth of color face the greatest threat of expanded incarceration in the wake of realignment.

YLC is working closely with our partners to ensure that juvenile justice realignment does not expand youth incarceration, but rather expands investments in family-based and community-based supports. Our advocacy adheres to a movement lawyering model that centers the expertise of directly impacted youth and their families, and leverages legal tools as a means of building community power and leadership. We follow the lead of our partners, the California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice (CAYCJ) and its member organizations, and we employ a range of strategies to support their advocacy priorities, including advocacy, legal research and analysis, litigation, training and education, capacity building and narrative change.

Movement Lawyering Resource: Navigating Juvenile Justice Law. Transforming the juvenile justice system requires navigating complex laws. The maps in Navigating Juvenile Justice Law help guide the way.