LAC’s H.I.R.E Network’s 4th Annual NYS Reentry Policy Conference

On September 9, 2009, the Legal Action Center's HIRE Network and our co-sponsors Youth Represent and Center for Community Alternatives hosted the 4th Annual NYS Reentry Policy Conference entitled, "Youth and Criminal Records: The Collateral Consequences of the Criminal Justice System on Youth and Their Families."

Years of punitive juvenile justice policies have destroyed communities, families, and many young lives.  Educational systems across the nation have incorporated more stringent and severe school disciplinary sanctions of youth, which has ultimately created a "school to prison pipeline" that many communities, particularly communities of color, are struggling to dismantle.  This conference examined policies and practices that impact youth in three parts:  the criminalization of youth in schools, the challenges youth face in the juvenile and adult criminal courts, and the collateral consequences that youth and their families face as they return to their communities. 

Our keynote speaker for this event was Dr. Pedro Noguera. He was joined by many well versed speakers including individuals who are directly affected by the issues discussed and representatives from the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, Campaign for Youth Justice, Children's Defense Fund, National Economic Social Rights Initiative, Advocates for Children of New York, the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, Legal Aid's Adolescent Intervention & Diversion Project, YouthBuild and others.  These representatives addressed the conference theme through panels, with each panel highlighted relevant research and data, policy and practical challenges, and best practices that yield successful outcomes.

Panel 1:  School and the Criminalization of Youth

Harsh disciplinary policies, excess policing in schools, and "Zero tolerance" policies increasingly put youth on the path away from school and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.  This panel will discuss the pathways that lead youth from schools into the criminal justice system and solutions to create safe, effective learning environments for students.

Panel 2:  Into the System: Youth in the Juvenile and Criminal Justice Systems

Youth entering the juvenile and criminal justice systems face different issues depending on whether they go through the juvenile or adult criminal courts.  This panel will discuss the challenges youth face within each system, developmental research that differentiates adolescence from other stages of life, strategies to hold youth accountable appropriately, and ways to keep youth from returning back to the justice system.

Panel 3:  Youth Returning Home: Reentry and Collateral Consequences 

Youth who have been involved with the criminal justice system face many barriers as they make the journey from courtroom to community.  This panel will discuss the challenges that youth and their families face and strategies to help communities end the destructive cycle of poverty, crime, and racial injustice.