Three Things We are Fighting for in 2026

Riya Saha Shah and Jessica Feierman,
Two teens walking

As we enter a new year filled with uncertainty, one thing is clear – we need to keep fighting for children in the justice and foster care systems.  

In 2026, we resolve to work side by side with young people, families and communities to: 

  • Challenge the surveillance and mass incarceration of children. We will fight widespread electronic monitoring and imprisonment of children that alienate and harm instead of support.
  • Protect children from harm. Our state systems hurt the very children they say they want to help; we will fight back when states hold children in solitary confinement or push them into the adult system.
  • Recognize that children’s rights and family rights go hand in hand. When we support families, we create better outcomes for children. We will challenge policies that remove children from home because of poverty, race, or disability. We will fight to keep families free of financial penalties when their children go to court.  

Our staff is gearing up to continue the fight with creative legal strategies, innovative policy advocacy, and deep determination.  

Our ultimate vision is a world where every child has what they need in their homes and communities to not just survive but to thrive. 

Thank you for being partners in this fight. 
 

About the Expert

Jessica Feierman is the Chief Legal Officer of Juvenile Law Center, where she leads programmatic work and engages in impact litigation, amicus efforts, and policy reform to fight systems that harm children and separate families, focusing on the juvenile, criminal, and family policing systems. She has also published widely on these issues.

Riya Saha Shah is the Chief Executive Officer of Juvenile Law Center. Riya began her career at Juvenile Law Center in 2005 as a Sol and Helen Zubrow Fellow in Children’s Law. Since the beginning of her legal career, Riya has engaged in litigation, policy advocacy, and amicus efforts to reduce the harm of the juvenile and criminal legal system, and interrupt entry into the child welfare, or family policing system, and juvenile legal system.