Take Action! Sign the petition to keep kids out of adult jails and prisons.

› Watch video reactions to "Young Kids, Hard Time"
› Keep kids out of adult jails and prisons - the Prison Rape Elimination Act
› Throw a House Party
› Educate yourself about youth in the adult criminal justice system
› Get more involved

"Young Kids, Hard Time" Producer Karen Grau explains why kids should not be in the adult criminal justice system after the premiere of her documentary.

Miriam Krinsky comments on the immorality and ineffectiveness of putting kids in the adult criminal justice system.

Indiana Department of Corrections Division of Youth Services Executive Director Mike Dempsey comments on how wrong it is to place kids in adult jails and prisons, insisting that most kids don't belong in prison at all, much less with adults.

Laura from CJJA comments on the "outrageous" nature of charging kids in the adult criminal justice system: "We need to stop if we consider ourselves a civilized society."

Alabama Family Court Judge Brian Huff comments on his opinions of "Young Kids, Hard Time"

Jabreria Hannie, member of the Core Allince of Youth Leadership with the Just Kids Partnership, talks about her experience in an adult facility as a 16 year old and the emotions the film brought up in her.

Author Dwayne Betts discusses pain of looking back at his time in an adult facility and his observations of the audience's reaction to the film. He notes his ability, and the ability of other young people, to deny the difficulty of their situation and expresses his hope and belief that others who have seen the film will take action to end the practice of treating children as adults.

"Young Kids, Hard Time" producer Karen Grau's son, Chandler Grau, gives a young person's perspective on kids - kids his age - spending time in adult jails and prisons. He discusses the importance of education and the school system to make sure the system does not take away any child's life.

House Party Kit

Are you interested in raising awareness about the impact of prosecuting youth in the adult criminal justice system?Invite people over and host a house or dorm party featuring "Young Kids, Hard Time" on December 20th.  These parties are essential for raising awareness, recruiting volunteers, and educating legislators. Hosting a party is easy, important and a great way to educate others about this atrocity. Our “House Party Kit” includes a sample invitation, a planning checklist, and ideas to make your party personal and fun.


House Party Kit (PDF 128 KB)

Prison Rape Elimination Act

Did you know that youth incarcerated in adult facilities are at more risk for sexual assault and rape than any other group?

The Prison Rape Elimination Act has the power to stop this abuse! As of now, the Act’s proposed rules do not require that youth be protected. But we can change this! Sign the petition today. If our leaders see a strong show of support, then rules will be implemented to protect youth from sexual abuse. A critical component of this protection is the removal of all under-18 youth from adult prisons and jails.

Removing youth from adult prison and jails will:

• Create safer communities by releasing youth who have been treated and rehabilitated, not abused and hardened. Youth who go through the juvenile justice system are much less likely to reoffend than youth who were incarcerated as adults.
• Save taxpayer money: if a youth is rehabilitated at a young age, this has the potential to save the public nearly $5.7 million in costs per youth in reoffending costs (i.e. costs of defense, jail, prison, etc.).
• Reduce the risk of rape and sexual assault for children.

 

What you can do to help:

1. Tell President Obama to Protect Children! Take action now to tell the President to end the rape and sexual assault of youth by issuing a ban on placing youth in adult jails and prisons in the final Prison Rape Elimination Act regulations.
2. Spread the word Tell your friends about this cause! Spread the word by sharing this webpage (www.cfyj.org/join-the-movement.html). Use social media like Facebook (Campaign for Youth Justice) and Twitter (@justiceforyouth) to make the movement stronger. We need as many signatories as we can get!
3. Host a film screening Send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to get updates and information about hosting your own film screening of MSNBC’s Young Kids, Hard Times, a documentary depicting the daily lives of youth as young as 12 who are incarcerated as adults, and learn how to receive a copy of the film. The film premiers on MSNBC on November 20th at 10pm EST.

 

The U.S. Department of Justice released the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission standards for public comment in 2010, and developed its proposed rules in 2011.  Unfortunately, the proposed rules do not protect youth in adult facilities. As a result, we are urging the Department of Justice to swiftly issue a final rule that will ensure that all youth are protected from sexual abuse as was intended by Congress when it passed Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).

Here’s why:

1. A study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 21 percent of the victims of sexual violence in jails and prisons were under the age of 18. Considering that inmates under 18 make up only about 1 percent of the jail and prison population, this statistic is shocking. Unfortunately the Commission has failed to address the numerous problems caused by efforts to separate youth from adults while still holding them in the same facilities.

2. Under the Department of Justice’s proposed standards, adult facilities will make case-by-case determinations of how to ensure the safety of vulnerable youth (115.41). Adult facilities housing children and youth will be forced to choose between housing youth in the general adult population, which the Commission recommends against, and housing youth in segregated settings. This frequently results in solitary confinement, which can cause anxiety and paranoia and exacerbate existing mental disorders, putting youth at a higher risk of suicide. Neither are appropriate options for children’s mental health.

3. Youth in adult facilities do not typically have access to opportunities like education, mental health programs, or substance abuse treatment, especially in comparison to minors in juvenile facilities. Devastatingly, youth in adult facilities are 36 times more likely to commit suicide than youth housed in juvenile detention facilities.

4. The purpose of PREA is to protect incarcerated individuals from unfair, unjust, and unconscionable treatment. Congress did not intend for the Department to rely on one dangerous practice in an attempt to eliminate another. The widespread consensus among correctional, mental health and juvenile detention organizations is that adult facilities are simply not equipped to safely detain youth. I hope that you will support this effort to strengthen PREA standards and eliminate rape and sexual assault in prison.

Read more about this issue...

More Information

Press Release
Facts and Research about Youth in the Adult Criminal Justice System
Calamari Productions website and Facebook page

Panel discussing "Young Kids, Hard Time" at the Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Join the Movement!

We, at the Campaign for Youth Justice, have launched an exciting and innovative new campaign called "Join the Movement!" We hope to build a network of caring individuals and together expand the movement of people to make reform happen. Learn what it takes to organize and build campaigns and empower yourself and those around you to build this movement for change.

To get started with the Join the Movement Campaign and join other like-minded individuals who seek change, request your Join the Movement Action Kit by emailing your contact information including your name and address to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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