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Past Event

A Future of Children Event

Juvenile Justice

Children & Families, Justice and Law, Courts, Crime


Event Summary

American juvenile justice policy is in transition. After a decade of declining juvenile crime rates, the forces that fueled the "get-tough" reforms of the 1990s have waned, as has enthusiasm for the reforms that eroded the boundaries between juvenile and criminal court, exposing juvenile offenders to harsh punishments. As some politicians and some members of the public have come to question the effectiveness and expense of tough sentencing laws, more moderate policies are being considered at the state and federal level.

Event Information

When

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Where

Falk Auditorium
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Map

Contact: Brookings Office of Communications

E-mail: events@brookings.edu

Phone: 202.797.6105

The antisocial acts that bring young people into contact with the justice system are often accompanied by other problems, most of which the justice system alone is ill-equipped to address. On October 15, a slate of panelists, including researchers, policy advisors, and advocates will discuss reforming juvenile justice to reflect these differences between adolescent and adult offenders. This event also marks the release of the latest volume of The Future of Children journal, "Juvenile Justice" published by Brookings and Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.

Event Materials:
Juvenile Justice Policy Brief »
Future of Children Publication Info »

Ron Haskins at Juvenile Justice event    Hon. Denton Darrington at Juvenile Justice event
Ron Haskins at Juvenile Justice event Hon. Denton Darrington at Juvenile Justice event

Transcript

PROFESSOR STEINBERG:  Let me begin by noting, that I don’t think the word crime has been uttered by either presidential candidate during this campaign. And this is both good and bad news. The bad news is, that any discussion of an economic crisis of the proportion America is facing ought to at least mention the very likely possibility that as the recession deepens, and unemployment grows crime will increase. So a discussion of crime policy ought to be on the table.  The good news though, is that the candidates are quiet on this issue, because periods of crisis are the absolute worst times in which to discuss crime policy. Since it’s during these periods that panic trumps prudence, and that policy gets made on the basis of fear, rather than foresight.

Today’s juvenile justice policies are the legacy of the increasingly harsh reforms that were implemented during the 1990’s. And in response to a dramatic increase in violent crime that took place in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, every state in the nation toughened its juvenile justice policies. Widening the net that sweeps juvenile offenders into the adult system, eroding the discretion of judges in favor of the decision-making of prosecutors and legislators. And imposing increasingly harsh and punitive sentences on juvenile offenders, including those who are held in the juvenile system. So this is not simply a problem of the transfer of kids into the adult system.

Participants

Introduction and Moderator

Ron Haskins

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies

Overview of the Issue

Laurence Steinberg

Distinguished University Professor and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology, Temple University

Hon. Denton Darrington

Idaho State Senator
Chairman of the Idaho Senate Judiciary Committee

Panel: Reforms

Laurence Steinberg

Distinguished University Professor and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology, Temple University

Shay Bilchik

Research Professor and Director, Juvenile Justice Reform and Systems Integration, Georgetown University Public Policy Institute

Christine Crooks

Legislative Assistant, Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE)

Jeffrey Fagan

Professor of Law and Public Health and Co-Director, Center for Crime, Community and Law, Columbia University

Kristin Henning

Professor of Law and Co-Director, Juvenile Justice Clinic, Georgetown University

Bart Lubow

Director of Programs for High-Risk Youth and their Families, Annie E. Casey Foundation


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