Juvenile Justice

150 Years is Enough

June 15, 2017 On Wednesday, June 28th, our friends in the Youth Justice New Jersey coalition will be outside New Jersey’s largest youth prison – Jamesburg – to call for its closure.  If you would like to join this gathering, please see the invitation below.…

Major Momentum on Juvenile Justice

January 26, 2016 This morning, President Obama announced that he would direct the Justice Department to ban the use of solitary confinement for juveniles in federal facilities and as a response to low-level infractions. In a Washington Post op-ed announcing the order, the president pointed to examples in Colorado and New Mexico where solitary confinement has been reduced and the result has been fewer assaults on prison staff and more promising participation in rehabilitation programs.…

Community Foundation Heralds New Juvenile Justice Law

August 11, 2015 The Community Foundation of New Jersey, on behalf of its fundholders with whom it has partnered to reform New Jersey’s juvenile justice system, said today it is gratified that Governor Chris Christie signed S2003/A429, a bill that a bipartisan group of legislators worked to make happen.…

Share this post to support the momentum on juvenile justice reform

//   When the Community Foundation of New Jersey heard the story of L.B., a young man who experienced severe neglect in New Jersey’s juvenile justice system, and others like him, its Leadership Committee decided to act. With a grant to the Post-Disposition Advocacy Project at Rutgers Law School-Newark, the Community Foundation in 2014 brought legal services to more incarcerated youth who so desperately need rehabilitation.…

Opinion: N.J. should learn from Kalief Browder’s death how to handle juveniles in criminal justice system

June 13, 2015 In a forceful op-ed in the Star-Ledger, our friend and partner Laura Cohen, of the Rutgers Post-Disposition Advocacy Project, makes the case for reforming New Jersey’s juvenile justice system. She calls the suicide of Kalief Browder – who was held at Riker’s Island for three years (two in solitary confinement) without being charged with a crime – “a knife in society’s gut, because, at each point along his tortuous path, through the system, harmful, antiquated and easily-fixed policies contributed to his demise.”…

On Our 2015 Agenda: Juvenile Justice Reform

April 26, 2015 The Community Foundation of New Jersey, on behalf of and in partnership with many of its fundholders, has for more than a year focused on reforming New Jersey’s juvenile justice system. Part of what got us involved was the story of L.B.,…

A Special Year-End Giving Opportunity

December 30, 2014 Last month we told you about the gathering we hosted at Tracy House, at which two partners of ours shared insights about the challenges they face in stopping human trafficking and reforming New Jersey’s juvenile justice system. Following that meeting, the Community Foundation’s Leadership Committee met and voted to award a $20,000 challenge grant toward the continued work of Rutgers’ Post-Disposition Advocacy Project – to help fund the work of a full-time attorney, Eliza Nagel, who spoke so eloquently about representing incarcerated youth.…

Sandler & Nagel Address CFNJ on Child Welfare Issues

November 19, 2014 This afternoon, CFNJ hosted Kelly Sandler, of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and Eliza Nagel, of the Rutgers Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic at Rutgers Law – Newark, to speak on human trafficking and juvenile justice, respectively. The conversation allowed donors and other interested partners to learn from each other about the best ways to make a positive difference in both areas.…

Why it Matters: Supporting the Rutgers Post-Disposition Advocacy Project

October 20, 2014 Many things fall through the cracks in life, but when it’s a young person, no length is too great to go to find them. Tragically, our state is filled with far too many youth who have fallen through every possible crack in society and now sit incarcerated, some in solitary confinement—“the box”—a five foot by seven foot cell with a metal or plastic bunk, thin foam mattress, toilet, and sink.…