Focus area

Youth Justice

NCYL works to transform the youth justice system so that it better embodies true justice and equity for children. We advance community-based, health-centered alternatives to harmful system practices and build towards a culture in which the system treats children as children. The work we do prioritizes evidence-based solutions that are proven to decrease recidivism and meet children with empathy and care.

Center Youth
NCYL provides direct services to students impacted by the youth justice system to help improve their school’s practices to better serve them. We also work directly with youth to file litigation and mobilize youth in policy advocacy and grassroots capacity building through partnerships with community-based organizations.

Our Success & Impact

Get up to date on our latest work - from litigation and policy wins to new reports, resources, events and more.

Success and Impact

Lawsuit Compels Riverside County To Stop Harmful Fees And Fines, Begin Reimbursements

A lawsuit filed by NCYL and the Western Center on Law & Poverty leads Riverside County to stop collecting illegal fees and fines from families and to...

Success and Impact

Campaign Helps Reform Juvenile Justice, Education Systems In Santa Clara County

NCYL's campaign to transform the juvenile justice and education system in California's Santa Clara County, launched in 2017, has had a significant...

Success and Impact

Lawsuits, Policy Work Highlight NCYL's Efforts To Stop Criminalization Of Students

The National Center for Youth Law, through litigation and policy development, has proudly fought to stop the criminalization of youth and end punitive...

Our Initiatives

Replace Harmful Punishment of Youth with Community-Based Supports

Research shows that the best way to ensure healthy outcomes for both youth and community is to stop harmful and traumatizing practices such as arrest and detention, and instead invest in comprehensive, community-based supports and services.

End The School To Prison Pipeline

Schools nationwide use harsh punishments that push students - especially Black and Brown students - into what is known as the school-to-prison pipeline. NCYL uses many strategies to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and create positive school environments that meet students’ academic, social and

Achieve #DebtFreeJustice

When youth are involved in the juvenile legal system, they can be charged thousands of dollars in unjust fees and fines. NCYL works to eliminate this harmful practice through ongoing impact litigation, policy advocacy and nationwide and community collaborations.

Related Events

Forum

Freedom to Learn: Education Reform as Part of the Youth Decarceration Movement

April 27, 2022 - 1:15pm

Legal Advocacy & Impact Litigation

See All Cases

D.P. v. School Board of Palm Beach County

Filing date

2021-06-22

Police employed by the School District of Palm Beach County illegally use the Florida Mental Health Act, also known as the Baker Act, to subject hundreds of students each year to involuntary psychiatric examinations, without their parents' input, consent and, sometimes, over their objections.

Active

Freeman v. County of Riverside

Filing date

2020-06-01

This lawsuit alleges Riverside County of illegally collecting juvenile administrative fees.

Active

Sigma Beta XI v. County of Riverside

Filing date

2018-07-01

This lawsuit alleges that Riverside County, California, through its Probation office, targets, ensnares, and discriminates against children by stripping them of their constitutional rights.

Active

Laws & Policy

See All Laws & Policy

Youth Bill of Rights (2022)

AB 2417 (Ting)

California's 2022 Youth Bill of Rights legislation would ensure that youth who are incarcerated know their rights and are informed of the newly-established state ombudsperson office. With the closure of California's state-run prisons, there is an urgent need to reassert these rights for youth and

Active

Reducing Justice-Involvement for Young Children (2022)

HB 22-1131 (Gonzales-Gutierrez)

This bill ends the early criminalization of children by establishing a minimum age for juvenile court prosecution at age 12

Active

End Endless Probation (2021 & 2022)

AB 503 (Stone)

AB 503 improves outcomes for youth by minimizing the time they spend on probation, and tailoring probation conditions to meet their needs.

Active

Press Coverage

How to Break the Juvenile Detention Cycle: New Research Shows a Way

October 13, 2021

EdWeek

Changes to California's youth prison system prove difficult to implement

October 7, 2021

EdSource

California moves to phase out its state-run youth prisons

June 29, 2021

Associated Press

Palm Beach County schools sued over their use of Baker Act to send kids to psych wards

June 22, 2021

Palm Beach Post

State reaches deal to improve education, mental services for incarcerated youths

June 22, 2021

CT Mirror

'Counseling Not Criminalization' Bill Unveiled to Boot Police From US Schools

June 18, 2021

Common Dreams

Related Resources

Report cover with title and collage of five photos of young people's faces in bright colors

Expanded Confidentiality and Sealing Provisions for Youth Police Records

Starting January 1, 2022, California youth who are diverted from the juvenile justice system after contact with law enforcement will automatically...

SB 203 graphic showing process of youth interrogation

Factsheets

Miranda Rights - Protection Guides for Youth and Professionals

Guides to help youth, law enforcement, and school staff understand the rights youth have during police interrogations to ensure outcomes are just and...

Reports

Youth Justice In California: Obstacles to a Public Health Approach

This brief highlights three initiatives in California to create systems that support youth, communities, and state by endeavoring to create...

Factsheets

Reports

District Leadership Checklist for Supporting the Unique Needs of Students in Foster Care, Experiencing Homelessness or in the Juvenile Justice System

This is a tool for local education agency leadership to support planning and monitoring for students that are experiencing homelessness, in foster...

Report title above a mural of young person their hand up holding a flower and the words "They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds."

Reports

Ending Endless Probation

Probation is the most common court ordered outcome imposed on youth in juvenile court in California. Too often, youth are placed on probation for an...

Where We Focus

National Center for Youth Law is committed to achieving large-scale, lasting change across multiple government systems and public agencies. Explore all the areas of our work to Center Youth.

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