Kids

Over the past decade, the number of teenagers involved with the juvenile justice system has declined significantly. Among other things, this has meant fewer arrests, fewer arraignments in juvenile court, and fewer kids detained by the Department of Youth Services (DYS) in a juvenile facility. At the same time, funding for DYS has remained roughly level, allowing DYS to provide better services to kids in detention and to provide an increasing array of alternatives to secure detention–which has the long-term effect of further reducing juvenile arrests, detentions and convictions.

The Youth Empowerment programs that we organize through our government help young people find jobs, break from cycles of violence, and build careers. The House Ways & Means budget for FY 2014 would cut funding for these programs by 50 percent.