Center for Youth Justice, Georgetown University

Reminder that we are reopening applications to join our 12-month hybrid Youth in Custody Certificate Program! Applications due September 16th.

We've redesigned the program so that participants get the benefits of in-person engagement without sacrificing the depth that comes from ongoing assistance and instruction. We have learned a tremendous amount about how and where to best serve youth involved in the youth legal system and related systems of care. But, operationalizing and implementing these research-based practices can be difficult as youth facilities face unprecedented staffing and operational challenges. ​This program is here to help accelerate transformations that lead to better futures for kids.

Learn more:

Reopening Applications for Our Hybrid Youth in Custody Certificate Program! - Center for Youth Justice A 12-Month Hybrid Program Designed to Bring the Best of In-Person Engagement Together with Ongoing Instruction and Assistance We are reopening applications for our hybrid Youth in Custody Certificate Program! In the past decade, we have learned a tremendous amount about how and where to best serve y...

We are pleased to announce that Clinton Lacey will be the recipient of the 2026 Shay Bilchik Award for Innovation in Youth Justice! We'll honor him at our upcoming September 10th America's Youth Justice Story forum with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. at the McCourt School of Public Policy - Georgetown University.

Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to improve the lives of youth, and challenged the field to think differently about how we engage and support young people. From his leadership at Haywood Burns Institute and the Vera Institute of Justice, to his tenure at NYC Probation and DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, to his building and advancing the Credible Messenger Mentoring Movement, he has been at the forefront of reimagining what youth justice can be.

His willingness to collaborate, share his expertise, challenge conventional thinking, and inspire others has strengthened our work and advanced our shared vision of a youth justice system grounded in healing, opportunity, and hope. In short, his career reflects the very qualities that Shay Bilchik has exemplified throughout his own: visionary leadership, an unwavering belief in the potential of young people, and a commitment to transforming systems so they better serve those who need them most. We cannot think of a more deserving recipient.

Learn more:

Announcing Clinton Lacey as the 2026 Recipient of the Shay Bilchik Award for Innovation in Youth Justice - Center for Youth Justice We are pleased to announce that Clinton Lacey will be the recipient of the 2026 Shay Bilchik Award for Innovation in Youth Justice! Throughout his career, Clinton Lacey has consistently demonstrated a commitment to improve the lives of youth, and challenged the field to think differently about how ...

Don't miss this webinar next week!!

Join the Coalition for Juvenile Justice for Part 2 of the CJJ Youth Skill Development Webinar Series: Youth Advocacy 101. This webinar is designed to help young people turn their passion into action. Participants will learn practical advocacy strategies, explore ways to engage in advocacy, and discover leadership opportunities to influence policy and decision-making. This opportunity is exclusively for youth advocates (28 years old and under).

Theme: Youth Justice Advocacy 101
When: August 20 at 4pm EST
Register: https://ow.ly/mhlJ50ZyrSx

This is cool. Maxwell II Maxwell from Family First Music Group will be kicking off our America's Youth Justice Story forum on September 10th with a musical performance!

We’ve had the privilege of getting to know Joshua and Matthew Maxwell through the Forgotten Children Initiative. Their soulful, nuanced, and powerful performance at our From Silence to Connection Family Gathering of relatives of boys who died and were buried at the Maryland House of Reformation was incredibly moving. We are honored that they will kick-off the forum with their voices and art.

Learn more about our forum with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
https://america-youth-justice-story.eventbrite.com/

We want to give a big shout-out to the Riverside County Probation Department for all the work they've been doing to implement their capstone project from our Transforming Juvenile Probation Certificate Program! You can read more and watch a video about the incredible strides they've taken in the linked blog post, which reflect not only stronger practices, but a cultural shift toward more youth-driven, family centered, and collaborative work.

We're also thrilled that Ramon Ramos, founder of The Exception Exception, will be speaking on our American Youth Justice Narratives panel at our American Youth Justice Story forum on September 10th with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.!

Fellows Spotlight: The 2024 Riverside, California Transforming Juvenile Probation Team! - Center for Youth Justice After teams participate in the rigorous training and discussion provided by one of our Certificate Programs, the work has only begun. Each team then returns to their own local organizations and communities to implement a Capstone Project. A Capstone Project is a set of actions each Certificate Progr...

We are so excited for our “America Youth Justice Narratives: Perspectives of the Media, Policy-makers, and Communities” panel at our upcoming America's Youth Justice Story national forum on September 10th with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.!

We still can't quite believe the lineup of speakers that will join us to analyze youth justice narratives in media, policy, and communities:
--Michel Martin, Emmy-winning journalist and Host of NPR Morning Edition
--Ramon Ramos, founder and President of The Exception
--Liz Ryan, Stanley S. Nelson Distinguished Practitioner for Justice Reporting & Communications at Louisiana State University former OJJDP Administrator
--Vincent Schiraldi, The Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellow at McCourt School of Public Policy - Georgetown University and former Secretary of Maryland Department of Juvenile Services

We don't want you to miss this dynamic conversation!

Regular registration is now open:
https://america-youth-justice-story.eventbrite.com/

We are pleased to announce that Bexar County has been selected as the 2026–2027 site for the Community Development and Engagement Initiative! Their application reflected care, candor, and collaboration. It was clearly the result of genuine partnerships developed over several years.

A big thanks to Jill Long Mata and Suzanne Hainlen for their remarkable efforts on the application. We are looking forward to working side-by-side over the next year with such a dedicated group of innovative partners, driven to make a positive impact on the lives of kids in their communities.

Bexar County Selected as the 2026–2027 Community Development and Engagement Initiative Site! - Center for Youth Justice We are pleased to announce that Bexar County has been selected as the 2026–2027 site for the Community Development and Engagement Initiative! Their application reflected care, candor, and collaboration. It was clearly the result of genuine partnerships developed over several years. What Made The...

We are glad to see that media coverage has followed the first meeting of the Maryland Commission on the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children, which is working in parallel with Marc Schindler and the Initiative.

In case you missed it, we’d like to draw your attention to three recent news pieces, each featuring family members of boys who had died and were buried in unmarked sites.

New Media Coverage Following First Meeting of Maryland Commission on the House of Reformation - Center for Youth Justice We are glad to see that media coverage has followed the first meeting of the Maryland Commission on the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children. We’d like to draw your attention to three recent news pieces, each featuring family members of boys who had died and were buried in unm...

The Center for Youth Justice, Georgetown University and Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP®), Inc. are proud to announce registration is now open for the 2026 Janet Reno Forum on September 10th!

“America’s Youth Justice Story: Unearthing the Past and Reimagining the Next Chapter” will be an in-person, one-day conference held in the heart of Washington, DC on Georgetown University’s Capitol Hill Campus. During this 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Forum will explore the past, present, and future of America’s Youth Justice story through the lens of truth-telling and creative expression.

FL Institute of Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science
The Exception
Louisiana State University
Credible Messenger Mentoring Movement CM3
Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center

https://loom.ly/ltOffQ8

If you're interested in hearing more from Maryland Commission members Phyllis Hammond, Dorothy Givens, forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle, and Initiative lead Marc Schindler, we encourage you to consider attending our upcoming America's Youth Justice Story national forum on September 10th with our partner Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.

All four will be on a panel, along with Tyrone Walker, Director of Reentry from the Georgetown University Prisons and Justice Initiative, that explores how the racist past of the youth legal system led to kids in state custody being buried in unmarked sites, reflect on how that past still impacts the system today, and survey the work currently underway to tell the stories of these forgotten children with dignity and care.

Learn more:
https://cyj.georgetown.edu/announcements/panel-spotlight-the-forgotten-children-of-youth-justices-past/