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Key Research

The Campaign for Youth Justice has produced several publications including National Reports and Policy Briefs.  In addition, please see a copy of our Key Research Listing which is an annotated bibliography of the literature on youth prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system. 

                                               
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        Frequently Requested Studies

In addition to the Campaign for Youth Justice publications, the documents below highlight the vast body of evidence finding that transferring juveniles to the adult criminal justice system leads to higher rates of recidivism, puts incarcerated and detained youth at unnecessary risk, has little deterrence value, and does not increase public safety.  

From Time-Out to Hard Time: Young Children in the Adult Criminal Justice System. (July 2009)

Policy research report by Michele Deitch that analyzes the available data with regard to the transfer of young children to adult criminal court, documents the extremely harsh and tragic consequences that follow when young children go into the adult criminal justice system, profiles practices in states with particularly severe outcomes for these young children, looks at international practices and offers policy recommendations.

Author: Michele Deitch, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.

America’s Invisible Children: Latino Youth and the Failure of Justice (May 2009)
CFYJ and the National Council of La Raza report on Latino youth in the justice system.  In addition to providing the latest facts about Latino youth in the U.S. justice system, the report highlights promising solutions and policy recommendations to reduce the disparities.

Author: CFYJ and NCLR

Keeping Adolescents Out of Prison. (October 2008)

Policy brief by Laurence Steinberg and Ron Haskins cites research showing that harsh punishment in adult facilities increases the probability of future violent crimes and that programs for youth that provide systematic treatment in community and family settings significantly reduce future criminal behavior without the need for harsh sanctions. The brief recommends states should adapt their laws on juvenile crime to emphasize evidence-based treatment and to avoid harsh punishment for all but repeat violent offenders.

Author: Laurence Steinberg and Ron Haskins, The Future of Children Brookings Institution Policy Brief

                                         
Juvenile Crime and Criminal Justice: Resolving Border Disputes. (October 2008)

Chapter by Jeffery Fagan on the impact of transfer laws in reducing crime.  Fagan finds that rates of juvenile offending are not lower in states where it is more common to try adolescents as adults and juveniles who have been tried as adults are no less likely to re-offend than their juvenile counterparts. Fagan concludes that treating juveniles as adult criminals is not effective as a means of crime control.

Author: Jeffrey Fagan, The Future of Children Juvenile Justice Report, Volume 18, No. 2

Critical Condition: African-American Youth in the Justice System  (September 2008)
An examination of how African-American youth are disproportionately affected by transfer laws. Key findings include that most African-American youth are transferred by statutory exclusion or prosecutorial waiver mechanisms, many are not convicted (suggesting that the cases brought against them are not very strong), and that most youth prosecuted in the adult system are not serious violent offenders.

Author: CFYJ

Fact Sheet

Juvenile Transfer Laws: An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency? (August 2008)

Bulletin by Richard E. Redding confirms extensive research finding that transfer laws have had the unintended consequence of increasing, rather than decreasing, recidivism rates and suggests that any intended deterrent effect of these laws has been largely unsuccessful. 

Author: Richard E. Redding, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Bulletin

                                       
A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform (June 2008)

Essay included in the 2008 KIDS COUNT Data book summarized current trends in juvenile justice and makes the case for reforms that will keep youth safe, strengthen communities and reduce juvenile crime.

Author: Annie E. Casey Foundation

                                  
Effects on Violence of Laws and Policies Facilitating the Transfer of Youth from the Juvenile to the Adult Justice System: A Report on Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services.  (November 2007)

The independent, nonfederal Task Force on Community Preventive Service’s review of published scientific evidence concerning the effectiveness of laws and policies that facilitate the transfer of juveniles to the adult criminal justice system.  The report found that transfer to the adult criminal justice system typically increases rather than decreases rates of violence among transferred youth and recommends against laws or policies facilitating the transfer of juveniles to the adult criminal justice system for the purpose of reducing violence.

Author: Task Force on Community Preventive Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Report

Fact Sheet

Jailing Juveniles: The Dangers of Incarcerating Youth in Adult Jails in America (October 2007)
Provides a summary of the risks that youth face when incarcerated in adult jails and a review of the limited federal and state laws protecting them.

Author: CFYJ
Fact Sheet

The Consequences Aren't Minor: The Impact of Trying Youth as Adults and Strategies for Reform (March 2007)

The report presence research, statuary analysis, and case studies to highlight the problem with the policies and practices that treat young people as adults in the justice system in seven key states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Author: CFYJ