Punishment Isn't Accountability When Dealing with Youth

Two years ago, WDC supported two ground-breaking bills—the Juvenile Justice Reform Act and the Child Interrogation Protection Act—that provided critically important protections to young people who are at risk of justice involvement, namely, the establishment of a minimum age at which a child can be arrested and subject to juvenile court jurisdiction and mandating access to an attorney before a police interrogation of a child. Among other things, legislators are now debating how to change the juvenile justice system to hold children accountable for their unwanted behavior and increase public safety. WDC does not support legislation to weaken or undermine these important reforms. This conversation needs to be informed by what we know about children. 

In January, Carol Cichowski, who co-chairs WDC’s Criminal Justice Reform Subcommittee wrote an opinion piece about these issues. "Punishment Isn't Accountability When Dealing with Youth,” was published online by McCo360. CLICK HERE to read the article.