Citizens for Juvenile Justice

Do you think adolescents who are too young to legally drink, smoke, gamble or rent a car should be subjected to the harsh environment of adult jails and prisons - even for minor offenses? You can change that here in Massachusetts.

Join the coalition behind the Raise the Age campaign for a lobby day at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, June 10th from 1pm to 4pm! We will be meeting with State Representatives urging their support for the Raise the Age bill (S. 1061).

Please join us and encourage your friends to come as well! No experience necessary. Join us for one of two Raise the Age ambassador trainings to learn about talking with legislators and choosing a lobbying team to join.

Register and learn more here: https://www.cfjj.org/raise-the-age-lobby-day-2026

We have found that local police, sheriffs, and courthouse staff regularly collaborate, and share information, with federal immigration authorities, thereby acting as ‘force multipliers’ for ICE.

These findings are especially important in the context of aggressive federal immigration enforcement that has shifted away from the border and into our communities. While Massachusetts is often viewed as a state with strong protections for immigrants, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

By amplifying these findings, journalists and media outlets are helping ensure that policymakers, advocates, and community members understand the real impact of local collaboration with ICE.

Check out recent coverage: https://conta.cc/3S8e5Px
Learn more: cfjj.org/ice-out

"The PROTECT Act does place limitations on ICE and on contact with ICE, but it could go a lot further,” said Leon Smith, executive director of Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ), an advocacy group that in April released a report documenting different ways local police departments, courts and correctional facilities collaborate with ICE.
“If we’re going to take a shot at reducing the harm ICE is causing, we should really dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s.”

https://baystatebanner.com/2026/05/20/police-courts-maintain-flow-of-information-to-ice-officials/

"Academic recovery after the pandemic is unfolding along two sharply different paths in Massachusetts. Students in wealthy school districts are nearing their 2019 performance, according to an annual report released Wednesday. At the same time, students in low-income districts remain far behind, especially in reading."

"We call ourselves number one in education, but that's only true for some students." - Jennie Williamson, state director of EdTrust in Massachusetts

Pandemic recovery is uneven across Mass. school districts, per new study Students in wealthy school districts are nearing their 2019 performance, according to an annual report released Wednesday. At the same time, students in low-income districts remain far behind, especially in reading.

On Monday May 11th, Citizens for Juvenile Justice joined the , staff from the , and legislators for a powerful conversation at MCI-Norfolk about how our legal and government systems can better support young people making the transition into adulthood, with a focus on (H.1923/S.1061). CfJJ Executive Director, , facilitated a conversation featuring the voices of those impacted by the system, current and former NBA players, including Derek White, and elected officials which uplifted the need for system change to better address youth trauma at the root, provide supports to young people earlier and prevent youth from ending up in the system by addressing their need for supports.

"Especially concerning is how the decline in achievement has manifested in our most vulnerable student populations, which account for the lion’s share of the district’s student population. More than 80 percent of Black and brown students are not reading or performing math on grade level in grades 3 through 8."

In light of the high stakes that educational success holds for our youth - young people who dropout of school are significantly more likely to become involved in the juvenile and criminal justice system - we support the call from the Boston School Committee for an audit to ensure that spending is tied most closely to improving educational outcomes, meeting social-emotional needs and raising achievement levels for all of our students.

What does $1.7 billion get you in the Boston Public Schools? Abysmal student achievement and declining results. A majority of Boston students are unable to read or do math at grade level. In a district spending $1.7 billion a year, it should be unconscionable to rest on good intentions without the ability to show real results.

One of the most meaningful parts of Seeds of Hope was our collaborative art-making experience, where guests shared their visions for a more equitable youth justice system.

Thank you to everyone who added their thoughts, creativity, and hopes to this collective piece. We’re so grateful to everyone who helped make this shared vision come to life!

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for Seeds of Hope: Building a Shared Vision of Youth Justice!

We’re so grateful to everyone who came out to share space, build community, participate in our collaborative art-making experience, and support youth justice. It was an inspiring evening filled with conversation, creativity, and connection, and we’re thankful to everyone who helped make it so special.

A huge thank you to our event sponsors, Eastern Bank, Justice Resource Institute, and Nellie Mae Education Foundation, as well as our auction sponsors for helping make this event possible!

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for Seeds of Hope: Building a Shared Vision of Youth Justice!
We’re so grateful to everyone who came out to share space, build community, participate in our collaborative art-making experience, and support youth justice. It was an inspiring evening filled with conversation, creativity, and connection, and we’re thankful to everyone who helped make it so special.

A huge thank you to our event sponsors, , , and ,
as well as our auction sponsors for helping make this event possible!

CfJJ's Director of Strategic Initiatives, Joshua Dankoff, co-authored a new op-ed with Brooke Simone, an attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights: "The Trial Court’s “Soft Diplomacy” With ICE Is Not a Strategy. It’s Surrender."

The Massachusetts Trial Court recently suggested that the PROTECT Act — legislation that would protect against immigration arrests inside state courthouses without a judicial warrant — would disrupt the so-called “soft diplomacy” between state courts and ICE. This is not a strategy; it’s a surrender. And the communities bearing the cost of this capitulation can’t afford for injustice to go unanswered.

Read the full op-ed here:

The Trial Court’s “Soft Diplomacy” With ICE Is Not a Strategy. It’s Surrender. — CfJJ The Massachusetts Trial Court recently suggested that the PROTECT Act — legislation that would protect against immigration arrests inside state courthouses without a judicial warrant — would disrupt the so-called “soft diplomacy” between state courts and ICE. This is not a strategy; it’s a...