Resource Library

Pennsylvania is currently considering legislation that will improve the chances of higher education success for students who are or were in the foster care system.

Every year, 1.5 million youth are arrested across the country. The moment each of these children comes into contact with the police, a record is

The Youth Empowerment Card would ideally be available in family court and would be distributed at places youth in foster care frequent, such as court or service providers’ offices. This card summarizes important rights in court and includes tips to empower youth to speak up in court. The tips were based off youth advocates’ own experiences in court.

Early work experiences and other forms of career exposure remain elusive for many youth, including youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Nationally,

Despite a growing consensus that solitary confinement harms youth and undermines the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile justice system, the practice remains all too common. At the same time, the field lacks sufficient information on the prevalence of the practice, the alternatives, and the perspectives of affected youth and families. This report uses surveys of public defenders, conversations with youth and families, interviews with correctional administrators, and legal and psychological research to fill these gaps and set forth recommendations for reform.

A strip search is a “search that requires a person to remove or arrange some clothing so as to permit a visual inspection of the person’s breasts, buttocks, or genitalia.” Strip searches may also involve “inspections of the scalp, ears, hands, feet, mouth, and nose.” Depending on state law, a strip search can be visual, physical, or a combination of both and may also involve a body cavity search. The best policy is to eliminate strip searches of youth for any circumstance, as is the policy for adjudicated youth in Missouri.

Juvenile Law Center collaborated with Disability Rights Pennsylvania and Education Law Center to design a toolkit to help transition-age youth and their advocates prepare for IEP meetings and develop strong IEP Transition Plans. The toolkit helps these youth and their advocates actively engage in the transition planning process by allowing them to set goals, identify barriers, and brainstorm possible services in advance of the IEP meeting.