Juvenile Justice

“A single decision made in response to a youth’s negative behavior can have a significant impact on the trajectory of that child’s life. Should a child’s life be defined by what he did at age 14?”
The Honorable Steven C. Teske, Chief Judge, Juvenile Court of Clayton County Georgia

Research shows that relying on law enforcement to deal with a student’s behavioral problems is ineffective and could lead to harmful, long-term consequences not anticipated by educators.  There are more effective responses to these issues that can help avoid the “school to prison pipeline.”

In an effort to get systems to work together to address discipline and behavioral issues in schools, on Oct. 20, 2015, police chiefs, school board presidents, superintendents, educators, mental health professionals, county prosecutors and juvenile court judges and other advocates were convened to begin the discussion.

View news release of the event: Forum Aims to end the “school to prison pipeline”
View presentations: The School to Prison Pipeline: What can we do about it?

View presentations on where NJ is today.

The event was a collaborative of the New Jersey Governor’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee, the New Jersey Council for Juvenile Justice System Improvement and Advocates for Children of New Jersey, in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission and the New Jersey Alliance of Family Support Organization.