Juvenile Law Center

Curfews for children and tough-on-crime approaches don't make communities safer. What does work? Investment in communities. Programming. Access to supportive, caring adults.

“Social science research has shown us that [curfews] are actually not effective at reducing crime or victimization,” said (Juvenile Law Center CEO Riya Saha Shah). “It could result in increased crime or displaced crime in different places or at different hours of the day.”

D.C. Mayor Candidates Are Fixating on Teen Hangouts — and Turning the Cops on Them Kenyan McDuffie says D.C. needs teen curfews. Janeese Lewis George argues that’s playing into the Trump administration’s hand.

Juvenile Law Center staff and our Stoneleigh Youth Advocacy Fellows were in Harrisburg yesterday advocating for juvenile legal system reform including SB1266, a bipartisan bill ending fees and fines in the juvenile legal system.

Want to learn more about this and other initiatives our team is taking on? Sign up for our newsletter, The Dispatch, by clicking here - https://jlc.org/newsletter-sign

Harsh responses to youth crime do not work.

“These tough on crime, really extreme sentencing schema don’t really work, and they only end up incarcerating more youth and perpetuating racial disparities.” - Malik Pickett, Senior Attorney.

Critics warn of years in prison for young adults under carjacking bill before Congress • Pennsylvania Capital-Star People younger than 25 make up most of the carjackers, causing advocates to argue that a lower threshold for proving carjackings could result in many young adults, especially Black men, spending decades in prison.

June is Stolen Children’s Month. We join partners nationwide in calling for an end to state-sponsored stealing of children, whether through the juvenile legal system, the family policing system, or immigration detention.

Learn more about the fight to keep families together this Stolen Children’s Month.

June 2025: Stolen Children's Month Stolen Children’s Month calls for the abolition of all systems that steal children and separate families, including the family policing, adoption, and foster industries; the ICE detention and deportation machine; and the prison-industrial complex.

This month, we join our colleagues working to abolish family policing in declaring June 2026 the second annual Stolen Children’s Month. Ashley Albert declared the first Stolen Children’s Month last year. Whether through juvenile placements, family policing and foster care, or ICE detention, families are regularly and brutally torn apart by state systems.

Learn more about the fight to keep families together this Stolen Children’s Month.

https://www.movementforfamilypower.org/stolen-childrens-month

We’re celebrating Jessica Feierman’s 20 years at Juvenile Law Center today! Our Chief Legal Officer brings vision, passion and empathy to her fight for youth rights. From her legal acumen to her community focus, she is a stellar and unique advocate for children. Thanks for all your work, Jessica!

Our CEO Riya Saha Shah will be moderating this panel today. Join if you are interested!

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://americanbar.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_O1z5uhZFRmGbZuIwIJwtBQ

Panelists examine the developmental implications of GPS monitoring for youth as a less restrictive alternative to incarceration. Does it enhance safety and accountability? The discussion will include concerns around how the data is being used, privacy, trust, and long-term impacts on autonomy.

Looking for a summer internship? Juvenile Law Center is bringing on both a Communications and a Development intern for this summer! Apply today:

Careers | Juvenile Law Center Work with us! Apply now for our full-time positions, part-time position and fellowship positions.

We support this work!

Archer et al. v. City of New York Archer et al. v.

In an era where far too many states are moving backward when it comes to children and the legal system, it's nice to see a state taking a proactive step forward. Children should not be tried as adults, period. Congrats to the advocates, youth and families who fought hard for this win.

New Maryland Law Will Keep Minors Out of Adult Courts and Prisons Under the newly signed Youth Charging Reform Act, children under age 16 will not be automatically charged in adult court, except in the most serious cases.