Laws & Policy

The Children's Safe Welcome Act prioritizes family unity, minimizes the time children spend in immigration custody, and increases the protections for children throughout the process. NCYL provided expert guidance in developing this landmark legislation.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

NCYL works to implement the historic passage of SB 823 (2020), the law that signaled California’s intention to close its Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and youth prisons, to replace it with a system that honors the potential of youth, not needlessly punish them.