Status:

Enacted

Youth Justice

Protecting Miranda Rights for Youth (2017)

SB 395 (Lara)

Location

California

Before 2017, children in California, no matter how young, could waive their Miranda rights whether they understood them or not. Senate Bill 395 (Lara) requires youth under 16 to consult with counsel prior to waiving their rights during a custodial interrogation. This bill, and its protections, were set to expire in 2025; in coalition, in 2020, NCYL successfully passed a bill that granted them permanently extended By ensuring youth understand their rights, we ensure the outcomes of interrogations are just and lawful, and create greater trust, accountability, and due process for all.

Related Initiatives

Create a Youth Justice System That Supports Development and Opportunity

NCYL develops, passes, and implements policies and practices that divert young people away from punitive systems and toward supportive, community-based solutions.

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

Related Cases

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

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.

Freeman v. County of Riverside

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

Sigma Beta XI v. County of Riverside

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

Related Laws & Policy

See All Laws & Policy

End School-Based Ticketing (2024)

HB 3413 (Ford)

Ending the unjust practice of referring students to be ticketed for an incident that can be pursued through the school district’s discipline policy

Justice for Survivors (2024)

AB 2354 (Bonta)

AB 2354 is a crucial bill in California aimed at ensuring that all survivors of intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and other forms of violence can petition the court for vacatur relief,

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. Often survivors of survivors of