5 Steps Toward Ending the Practice of Prosecuting Youth as Adults

[The following is reprinted with permission from the November 2010 newsletter from the Campaign for Youth Justice, where it appeared under a different title. --Ed.]
At the Campaign for Youth Justice, we are asked regularly why we take a campaign approach to ending the practice of prosecuting youth in adult courts and thought we'd start a series of conversations in our newsletter to discuss all the various aspects of a "campaign." 

How do you get started on a campaign?  Here are five steps to "get started":
 

1. Find others:  Identify and talk to other people who may be interested in the issue of youth in adult criminal court. Start with your family, your block, your neighborhood, your place of worship or community center. Not sure how to make that first contact? Check out this organizing guide.

1. Make a contact list:  Include everyone you've talked to who is interested, such as name, phone and email. Start an email list. Send out regular updates as you meet new people.
2. Host a small gathering:  Invite everyone on your contact list. You can consider hosting a house party. (See our house party tips.) Another idea is to host a film screening to show Childhood Interrupted, a 15-minute video about youth in the adult criminal justice system. Follow the link to view a clip and order a free copy.
3. Gather the facts:  What is your state law? What state data is available? Have any reports been issued on this issue? Put together a fact sheet with any information you've been able to gather. Share the facts with everyone on your contact list. Ask your contacts for any information they may have. For a sample fact sheet, check out this fact sheet for some national statistics.
4. Start a story bank:  If you have been personally affected, consider sharing your story. Ask others to share their stories. Enlist everyone on your contact list to share their stories and to help with collecting other stories. Stories can be written, taped or filmed. Here's some ideas on how to start a story bank.

Please share your feedback, comments and ideas on this article! We'd also like to know what questions you have about campaigns and what topics you'd like to see in future articles. Just email me. 

Liz Ryan is Chief Executive Officer for the Campaign for Youth Justice.

[Check out this post for links to clips from an award-winning documentary about youths who were tried as adults in California. --Ed.]
 
Photo: cyborglibrarian.