Juvenile Court

NDAA Juvenile Prosecution Principles and Guidelines

Purpose These policy positions were developed to strengthen and support the work of juvenile prosecution. They are designed to be read in conjunction with NDAA’s National Prosecution Standards, Fourth Edition (2023), Section V, Juvenile Justice. While every state has its … Read More

The Rising Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System

Jurisdictions are increasingly exploring ways to divert youth accused of delinquent behavior from the justice system. Compared to young people who are arrested and prosecuted in juvenile court, young people who are diverted from formal court processing are less likely … Read More

Child Welfare Law Career Guide

Introduction From the moment a child is removed from their parents and placed in foster care, everything is at stake — their home, school, community, and relationships with family and friends . Although the child welfare system was designed to … Read More

Why Youth Incarceration Fails: An Updated Review of the Evidence

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Though the number of youth confined nationwide has declined significantly over the past two decades, our country still incarcerates far too many young people. It does so despite overwhelming evidence showing that incarceration is an ineffective strategy for … Read More

Seeing Whats Underneath

Seeing What’s Underneath: A Resource for Understanding Behavior and Using Language in Juvenile Court

Juvenile court can be a stressful environment— for everyone. But for court-involved youth, it can also be embarrassing, confusing, and traumatic. Youth may fail to meet adults’ expectations to be respectful and compliant or to show empathy and remorse. Youth … Read More

Models for Change

Models for Change is a long-term, $100 million investment in more fair, rational, effective and developmentally appropriate approaches to juvenile justice. The MacArthur Foundation began making grants to organizations in the juvenile justice field in 1996, following years of harsh … Read More

Family Visitation in Child Welfare: Helping Children Cope With Separation While in Foster Care

This brief looks at best practices around visitation while children are in foster care. It looks at factors that support visitation as well as challenges. Additionally, ways that the juvenile court system can support parental visitation are highlighted.  http://partnersforourchildren.org/sites/default/files/publications/2011._family_visitation……_helping_children_cope_brief.pdf

NCTSN Bench Card for Juvenile Court Judges: Newcomer Immigrant Youth in Juvenile Justice Court Proceedings – A Trauma-Informed Approach

Provides judges with information they need to know about newcomer immigrant youth and trauma. This bench card offers useful questions and guidelines to help make decisions based on the specific needs of newcomer immigrant youth.
Published in 2019 … Read More