Mobilizing Health Professionals Against the Juvenile Death Penalty

Following the Supreme Court ruling, PHR Executive Director Leonard Rubenstein said: "We are thrilled about the decision. It provides a legal grounding for what scientists have shown - that kids are different from adults."

Health and Justice for Youth

The Need for System Reform

FACT SHEET

Health and Human Rights in Juvenile Justice

The juvenile justice system was originally created to provide guidance and rehabilitation for wayward youth, but recent punitive laws and prison-like institutions mimic the adult criminal system and often violate children's rights to health and appropriate care. While youth do need to be held accountable for their actions, it is inevitable that nearly all of them will return to society at some point. For their own well-being and for public safety, a system is needed that will acknowledge and protect their rights and prepare them to be productive and safe adults.

What Needs to Be Done

Policy makers must understand and recognize the critical health considerations affecting youth in the system. Based on a 2002 Consensus Conference sponsored by the Center for the Promotion for Mental Health in Juvenile Justice, the Center for the Advancement of Children's Mental Health and the National Center for Mental Health in Juvenile Justice, the following juvenile justice services must be developed and strengthened:

Diversion programs and community-based alternatives to detention and incarceration.
Universal screening of all youth in contact with the juvenile justice system and comprehensive assessments of those who need them (based on screening results.)
Treatment for youth in the system's custody who are diagnosed with one or more mental health disorders.
Wider application of evidence-based research for treatment services and practices in detention and correctional settings and residential placement.
Training of juvenile justice facility staff to address the needs of youth with mental disorders.
Re-entry programs for youth transitioning out of residential placement.

How You Can Make a Difference

Sign up to receive action alerts from PHR's Health and Justice for Youth Campaign
Contact your local juvenile justice advocacy group or juvenile court to learn about volunteer opportunities or special programs.
Arrange lectures and awareness-raising events to educate your community or school.
Become a volunteer court-appointed special advocate (a community volunteer who provides detailed information to the court about what is in the best interest of children who have suffered abuse and neglect.)
Advocate for policies that support positive health and justice outcomes for youth.

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