Recent news

The stigma attached to being homeless has a massive impact on the prevention and direct treatment of homelessness, regardless the severity of one’s situation. No child should bear the responsibility of acquiring housing alone. These days, though, technology is so accessible and essential to the social sphere of young people. We are never truly alone, are we?

Today is the 50th Anniversary of In Re Gault, the U.S. Supreme Court case that granted children the right to counsel and other key due process protections when facing delinquency charges in juvenile court. Fifty years later, full implementation of the decision remains uneven, but its promise still guides our advocacy as we continue to work to ensure that kids are treated fairly by our justice system.

In one of the latest examples of efforts by the current administration to undo reforms, Attorney General Sessions has announced in a memo to Justice Department attorneys that they must review all “existing and contemplated consent decrees.” This directive calls into question the consent decrees negotiated by the Justice Department with cities and police forces throughout the country to address discriminatory practices and abuses by police.

Last night at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Juvenile Law Center was honored to present three extraordinary individuals with our 2017 Leadership Prizes.

Yesterday, Juvenile Law Center’s Child Welfare Policy Director Jennifer Pokempner testified before Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless on Councilwoman’s Blackwell’s Resolution 170027 to investigate ways the city can prevent homeless through new models.

Juvenile Law Center’s work on costs, fines and fees for youth in the juvenile justice system and their families featured in national news; Philadelphia changes citywide policy on “child support” fine collection.

A new study by the American Pediatrics Association (APA) entitled, How Does Incarcerating Young People Affect their Adult Health Outcomes? indicates that youth who are incarcerated have poor health outcomes as they mature into adults.