On Feb. 24, supporters of the Youth Justice Innovation Fund rallied at the Capitol for a $50 million investment in community programs that help keep young people out of the criminal justice system through preventive measures.
Sponsored by Sen. Cordell Cleare and Assemblymember Gabriella Romero, the lawmakers gave speeches in support of the passage of bills S643 and A10264.
Cleare spoke about the importance of funding preventive care to provide young people with alternative lifestyle options to keep them out of incarceration.
“In order to allow our youth and the programs we designed to empower them to thrive, they must be fully supported in every way, fiscally, financially, and programmatically,” Cleare said.
At the rally, Denesha Young shared that she benefited from these services. She said, “adding myself as a person who has gotten alternatives to incarceration, I believe if you choose…intervention services that you will choose the right path.”
She continued to express that teens want the help but lack access. “They’re desperate for opportunities. They’re desperate for help…you just need to give them the time, place, and money,” she said.
Leading young adults to a course of success is one of the goals that the funding aims to support through its services.
Cleare said the Youth Justice Innovation Fund would “allow for community-based organizations to serve all young people…regardless of legal status, court or jurisdiction, and thus empowers trusted knowledgeable community partners to focus on prevention and ensure young people do not wind up involved in the system at all.”
The investment into community-based resources builds off the Raise the Age law, which advocates, including Cleare, criticized for not delivering what was promised.
“Coming up on the 10th anniversary of RTA passing, the state has spent less than 40% of the money allocated…it is counterproductive. It is disingenuous to pass programs that are designed to fail,” she said.
The Raise the Age law was enacted in 2018. The law raised the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18-year-olds. The goal was to lower the number of teens in the adult criminal system, setting them up for a future without criminal involvement.
Cleare said that since the Raise the Age law was enacted, only a third of the $1.71 billion allocated for programming has been used. From that, she said, less than 20% of the funds used have been allocated to support incarceration alternatives.
The Youth Justice Innovation Fund aims to strengthen community-based organizations that mentor young people. The programs seek to keep teenagers in school, connect them to jobs, support mental health and get these services to those in need.
In closing remarks, Romero urged continued support for the Youth Justice Innovation Fund to build on Raise the Age and help at-risk teens get on the right path.
“Since Raise the Age took effect, youth crime has actually decreased. What we’re trying to do with the Youth Justice Innovation Fund is make sure that recidivism is decreasing and that children have the opportunity to truly thrive,” Romero said.
