About NYJN:
The National Youth Justice Network (NYJN) builds the movement for anti-racist, healing-centered youth justice. We unite a diverse network of advocates and organizers to shift youth justice away from policing and prisons toward community-based, trauma-informed and healing-centered responses to youth needs. Our work centers the needs of the most marginalized, and we seek a reimagined future where Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+ youth, and youth with disabilities have the freedom, resources and opportunities necessary to thrive.
Vision:
NYJN works towards our vision of community-based, healing-centered justice for our young people. We envision communities that honor the inherent dignity of all children and families and recognize children as children by responding to trauma, conflict, or risky behavior with care, not criminalization.
Mission:
We unite a diverse network of advocates and organizers that are working towards community-based, trauma-informed and healing-centered responses to youth needs and away from prisons and policing. We seek to end youth criminalization and incarceration. Our work centers the needs of the most marginalized youth and reimagines a future where all youth have the freedom, resources and opportunities necessary to thrive.
Our Story:
The National Youth Justice Network (formerly National Juvenile Justice Network) was created in 2005 to dismantle racist youth legal systems that criminalize and disregard the dignity and worth of children particularly on the basis of race, ability, and orientation. In the years since our founding, our work has evolved to include not just an analysis of the oppressive legal systems we should tear down, but a values-driven vision of the transformative ecosystems we dare to create.
As we look to the future of NYJN, our work is driven by our belief that communities can support the healthy maturation of young people when they are well-resourced and equipped to help youth and families,
- Heal traumatic experiences that may hinder their development and lead to legal system conflicts,
- Positively resolve conflict with peers and work towards reconciliation,
- Develop the educational and emotional skills needed to pursue their vocational dreams, and
- Access family stabilizing supports like jobs, housing, safe gathering spaces, and other resources necessary for youth and their families to live in well environments.
Our Core Values
NYJN’s mission and strategies are driven first and foremost by the belief that our youth legal systems are inextricably bound with systemic and structural racism. In order for our movement to achieve the transformative and healing-centered vision of justice we seek, we must be committed to bringing our core values into every choice we make.
NJJN is led by a dedicated team of social justice practitioners committed to making the vision of equity, opportunity and healing for youth a reality.
Want to join the movement for youth justice? We welcome those interested in membership, allyship or career opportunities when they arise. Learn the many ways you can get involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want to learn more about how NYJN works? View or frequently asked questions below.
NJJN’s works across three four operations:
- Advocacy, Research & Education
- Narrative Organizing
- Network Uniting
- Transformative Leadership.
Learn more by visiting “Our Work.”
NYJN’s membership is open to state advocacy organizations who support NYJN’s principles of reform. Membership is also open to graduates of our Youth Justice Leadership Institute. For membership questions, email info@njjn.org.
Our Ally program is geared toward individuals who want to help move our country away from policing and prisons for youth but are not affiliated with a specific organization or want to personally lend their support. Learn how to become an ally.
We refer to the “youth legal system” as the collection of punitive responses to youth in conflict with the law, including arrest, prosecution, adjudication, detention and probation. We distinguish this from what we believe constitutes true youth justice – a well-resourced ecosystem of community-based, trauma-informed and healing-centered responses to youth needs that create a pathway to opportunity, success and thriving for young people.