Recent news

As we approach Juvenile Law Center’s 50th Anniversary in 2025, we write to share — with a mix of wistfulness and excitement — that we will soon be undergoing a leadership transition to make room for the next generation of leaders at this extraordinary organization.

This year, Juvenile Law Center will honor Elizabeth Scott and Laurence Steinberg as joint winners of the 2024 Leadership Prize. Scott and Steinberg have co-published critical papers on adolescent development and brain science that have inspired lawyers, judges, and lawmakers across the country to re-examine their pre-conceived notions about adolescent development, children’s rights, and the possibility of envisioning a more developmentally-appropriate approach to youth crime and delinquency.

Angel Rodriguez has served as the co-founder and Executive Director of Avenues for Justice (AFJ) for forty five years. AFJ is a community-based organization in New York City that provides alternatives to incarceration to 500 justice impacted young people, ages 13-24, each year.

Bryan Stevenson is the founder and Executive Director of the Montgomery, Alabama based Equal Justice Initiative. He is a multi-award-winning lawyer, author, public speaker, and advocate for justice system reform, and has argued five cases in front of the Supreme Court - winning favorable judgements in all but one.

On December 1, 2023, Juvenile Law Center, Center for Children’s Law and Policy, and 50 national, regional, and Louisiana based youth advocacy organizations and academics submitted an amicus brief in support of the emergency removal of children – nearly all of whom are Black youth – from Angola, a former death row prison in Louisiana.

I write this today as a voice that has emerged from the depths of the juvenile justice and foster care systems. For over a decade, I have been part of Juvenile Law Center, advocating for change as a youth advocate. My journey began in the city of Philadelphia, where I grew up entangled in the very systems I now work tirelessly to transform.

The Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Task Force released its Final Report two years ago.  This report highlighted the many issues plaguing Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system and contained 35 recommendations for reform.  Youth, their families, and advocates around the Commonwealth supported these recommendations.