Laws and Policy

We implement policy advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels. Our work includes policy development, lobbying, coalition building, and community organizing.

Browse Laws & Policy

Youth Reinvestment Grant (2023)

AB 912 (Jones-Sawyer)

Youth deserve care and support, not surveillance and confinement. Our responses to young people should emphasize positive youth development approaches over punitive measures and incarceration.

Active

Justice for Survivors (2023)

AB 1497 (Haney)

Creating meaningful pathways to justice for survivors of trauma, domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking who are funneled into our criminal legal system is important for their healing and care, and to stop the further criminalization of victims.

Active

Ending Childhood Prosecution (2022 & 2023)

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

Debt-Free Justice for Michigan (2022)

HB 4987 / HB 4988 / HB 4989

Every year, justice-involved young people in Michigan and their families are thrown into significant debt due to excessive court fines and fees levied upon them as they move through the juvenile justice system. These costs do not improve public safety and may actually harm the child's future by putting them increasing financial stress or keeping them under court supervision for a longer period of time.

Inactive

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 ensure youth understand their rights.

Enacted

Expanding Access to Diplomas for Highly Mobile Students (2021 & 2022)

SB 532 (Caballero)

SB 532 builds bridges to a high school diploma and post-secondary educational success for highly mobile students.

Enacted

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.

Inactive

Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Protections Act (2021)

AB 1140 (Rivas)

AB 1140 clarifies the responsibilities of the California Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson, and their jurisdiction, to provide oversight of unaccompanied immigrant children held in state-licensed Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities.

Enacted

Justice for Survivors (2021)

AB 124 (Kamlager)

AB 124 aims to support survivors of violence, including domestic violence and human trafficking, by providing trauma-informed charging, sentencing, and resentencing relief and trial advocacy considerations.

Enacted

Browse Resources

A Legal Advocacy Guide: Combatting Racial Discrimination and Censorship in K-12 Public Schools

This guide is meant to serve as a tool for understanding legal protections that can help students, families, and educators push back against racial discrimination and censorship in K-12 public schools.

Education Civil Rights Alliance Responds to Executive Orders Targeting Discipline Reform & Disparate Impact

On April 23, 2025, President Trump issued two executive orders that will erode civil rights protections for students if implemented.

Cash Benefits and Other Assistance: The Experiences of Expectant and Parenting Youth in California Foster Care

Expectant and parenting youth (EPY) with current or prior involvement in foster care experience multiple educational, health, and financial stressors. As EPY navigate the transition into adulthood and parenting, they often do so with reduced family support and greater systemic and financial challenges, making it harder for them to achieve what they want for themselves and their children. While support programs do exist, young parents have reported challenges accessing existing benefit programs.

JusticeEd: Year Four Progress Update

At the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), we envision a future where each and every system-impacted young person is able to graduate from high school with the widest array of possibilities for their future.

JusticeEd: Year One Progress Update

Cash Benefits and Other Assistance: The Experiences of Expectant and Parenting Youth in California Foster Care

Expectant and parenting youth (EPY) with current or prior involvement in foster care experience multiple educational, health, and financial stressors.

Immigration Resources

Resources regarding immigrant children in federal custody.

Rights of Children Potentially Subject to the Laken Riley Act

The Laken Riley Act (LRA), signed into law on January 29, 2025, amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by expanding mandatory immigration detention to include individuals who are arrested for, charged with, convicted of, or admit to committing specified crimes. This guide addresses questions that are likely to arise if the LRA is enforced against children under the age of 18.

From school to court: New report details extensive harms tickets inflict on students

A new report that examines the experiences of young people who become ensnared in Colorado's municipal court system due to being ticketed at school and in their communities highlights several disturbing trends and calls on community leaders to implement needed reforms.