Links to Additional Resources
Click on any of the four categories below:
Massachusetts Organizations
Massachusetts Government
National Organizations
Federal Government
Massachusetts Organizations
Children's Law Center
http://www.clcm.org
The Children's Law Center of Massachusetts is a private, non-profit, legal advocacy and resource center providing direct representation to low income children in Eastern Massachusetts, and technical assistance and training to lay and professional communities throughout New England on issues affecting children's education, civil rights, custody, health and welfare.
Children's League of Massachusetts
http://www.childrensleague.org
The Children's League of Massachusetts informs the public policy debate about the needs of children, youth and their families through the strategic use of legislative and administrative advocacy, collaboration with other children/youth/family advocacy organizations, research, and public education.
Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice
http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/houstoninstitute/
The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice seeks to further the vision of racial justice and equality through research, policy analysis, litigation and scholarship. The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice places a special emphasis on the issues of voting rights, the future of affirmative action, the criminal justice system and related areas. The Institute is located at Harvard Law School.
Civil Rights Project at Harvard University
http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/
The Civil Rights Project (CRP) is dedicated to civil rights research. Its mission is to renew the civil rights movement by building consensus within the movement and by working to bridge the world of ideas and action. One of CRP's main focuses is the so-called ãschool to prison pipelineä. The website features CRP's research, information about relevant court decisions, and documents pertaining to the development of current civil rights legislation at both the state and federal level.
The EdLaw Project
http://www.youthadvocacyproject.org/edlaw/edlaw.htm
The EdLaw Project is a partnership between the Children's Law Center of Massachusetts and the youth Advocacy Project, created to ensure equal opportunity in life achievement for Boston youth by enforcing every child's right to a quality education. Its mission is to promote growth and stability in the lives of children and make an impact on education policy. The EdLaw Project aims to achieve this through child empowered legal representation in specific education matters, such as school discipline, increasing the recognition of indicators of unmet educational needs, and supporting the community set agenda of improving education by assisting community members, local groups, and statewide organizations develop effective education policies.
Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern University
http://www.irj.neu.edu/
The Institute on Race and Justice utilizes strategic social science research methodologies to assist government agencies, educational institutions, and community stakeholders in the development of policy changes to advance the cause of social justice. The Institute was founded on the premise that academic institutions can work with communities to provide rigorous and objective information that can be used to influence policy changes that advance the cause of social justice. In addition to providing information about the Institute's current projects, the website provides helpful links to statistics about crime, race, and justice issues.
Massachusetts Alliance of Juvenile Court Clinics
http://www.kidsandthelaw.org/majcc.htm
The Massachusetts Alliance of Juvenile Court Clinics (MAJCC) is a statewide organization founded to educate legislators, providers, and consumers about the services provided by the Juvenile Court Clinics. These clinics provide court-ordered mental health and substance abuse evaluations, referral, and limited intervention services for children and families involved with the Juvenile Court. MAJCC also works to increase the resources necessary to continue existing services and expand the extent of services the Juvenile Court Clinics can provide statewide.
Juvenile Justice Center at Suffolk University
http://www.law.suffolk.edu/academic/clinical/jjc/jjc.cfm
The Juvenile Justice Center provides Suffolk Law students the opportunity to represent youth in court. Clinical students, under the supervision of two attorneys, handle 500-600 delinquency cases per year. The JJC mission is to provide vigorous, high-quality representation for children in the juvenile court system, using a multi-disciplinary approach that includes supportive social services and education advocacy. The Center also monitors and actively advocates on state policies that affect how youth are sent to court and the consequences of their court involvement. The website provides sample pleadings for juvenile defense attorneys, as well as information about the center and the policy initiatives it supports.
Massachusetts Citizens for Children
http://www.masskids.org
MCC is a non-profit statewide child advocacy organization. Its mission is to improve the lives of the state's most vulnerable children through advocacy by concerned citizens. It is a resource for citizens and the media to turn to for an independent view of events, legislative issues or public policies affecting their families, independent of political, partisan, and government organizations. The website features information on MCC's programs, including initiatives to prevent child abuse, document the state of Massachusetts ' children and advocate for child welfare reform .
Parent / Professional Advocacy League
http://www.ppal.net
PAL is a Massachusetts statewide network of parents and professionals who advocate on behalf of children and adolescents with mental, emotional or behavioral needs. The organization provides a toll-free hotline to call for information on youth mental health, referrals and support. (1-866-815-8122)
Massachusetts Government
Department of Education
http://www.doe.mass.edu/
This is the official homepage of the Massachusetts Department of Education. The website provides updates on education policy from the Commissioner, information about individual school districts, and educational services available in the Commonwealth. The website also contains information about Massachusetts compliance with No Child Left Behind.
Department of Youth Services
http://www.state.ma.us/dys
This is the official homepage of the Department of Youth Services (DYS). DYS is the juvenile justice agency of Massachusetts. Youth in DYS custody have either been detained (pre-trial) or committed (post-adjudication). DYS protects the public and prevents crime by promoting positive change in the lives of youth committed to its custody, and by partnering with communities, families, government, and provider agencies toward this end. The website features information on DYS' organization, population, and programs.
Department of Social Services
http://www.mass.gov/dss
This is the official homepage of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS). The mission of DSS is to protect children who have been abused or neglected. It strives to insure that each child has a safe, nurturing, permanent home. DSS provides family support services, foster care, group care, and domestic violence services. The website features a hotline to call to report suspected abuse, information on all the Department's programs, and child welfare statistics and news.
Juvenile Court Department
http://www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/juvenilecourt/index.html
This is the homepage of the Juvenile Court Department of the Massachusetts Court System. The website includes information about the juvenile court, including procedures, statistics, contact information, and biographical details of the juvenile court judges.
Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee
Link to Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee
The Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) is a state advisory group authorized by the federal government to help coordinate juvenile justice and delinquency prevention efforts in the Commonwealth. The Executive Director of CfJJ serves on this committee. The JJAC provides expert input to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety (EOPS) to help develop a statewide plan for delinquency prevention and overall child well being. In addition, the JJAC distributes federal grant money and provides policy recommendations to the Governor and state legislators on juvenile justice matters. The website lists current members of the committee and provides information about the time, place, and agenda of upcoming meetings of the committee and subcommittees. These meetings are open to the public.
Massachusetts District Attorneys Association
http://www.mass.gov/mdaa/
The MDAA is an independent state agency that supports the eleven elected Massachusetts District Attorneys and their combined staff of over 1,600 employees, including 700 prosecutors and almost 300 victim-witness advocates. Among other things, the MDAA facilitates working groups for juvenile prosecutors. The MDAA manages statewide information technology services, administering grants in the areas of violence against women, crimes against people with disabilities, vehicular crimes, and producing publications for prosecutors and advocates, hosting trainings and conferences, and providing information on budgetary, criminal justice and public safety issues to the executive and legislative branches.
Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee
www.mass.gov/mhlac
MHLAC is an independent state agency of the Supreme Judicial Court that was created to secure and protect the legal rights of persons involved in mental health and retardation programs in the Commonwealth. It is now providing free legal assistance for youth committed to the Department of Youth services (most of whom are not entitled to the assignment of a public defender). In addition to providing guides to mental health services in Massachusetts and general legal representation, MHLAC can work with DYS-involved youth to address issues of mental health assessment and care, education, appropriate placement, rights in facilities, restraint, disability, discrimination, and transition to the community.
Youth Advocacy Project
http://www.youthadvocacyproject.org/
The Youth Advocacy Project of the Committee for Public Counsel Services provides legal representation, advocacy, and consultations for youth under 17 years old, who are charged in Boston as delinquents or youthful offenders. These services are made available to young people who are unable to pay for counsel in delinquency and youthful offender cases, as well as in related disciplinary and administrative proceedings. The project offers clinical assessment, service planning, and referrals to high-risk youth to prevent chronic court involvement and help them lead productive lives. YAP also offers education and training to families and children, youth-serving professionals, and members of the juvenile justice community.
National Organizations
ACLU
http://www.aclu.org
The ACLU seeks to preserve constitutional rights and extend those rights to society's most vulnerable members, including minorities and children. Within the larger issue of criminal justice, the ACLU works on juvenile justice issues and provides information on its ongoing projects. One of its juvenile justice projects is an extensive report on disproportionate minority contact in Massachusetts . The webpage also features articles, legislation and press releases relating to juvenile justice.
American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Committee
http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/home.html
The Juvenile Justice Committee is dedicated to monitoring the legislative, fiscal, policy, and administrative changes in the juvenile justice system while providing training, assistance, information and advocacy to members of the juvenile justice network. The website features articles on various aspects of juvenile justice, including the juvenile death penalty and links to newspaper articles.
Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.aecf.org/
The primary mission of the Annie E. Casey Foundation is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families. The website features information about the foundations many projects and initiatives, including KIDS COUNT and the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. and provide this information to lawmakers and citizens in an attempt to enrich the national discussion about how to best secure a better future for all children. The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative was created 1992 to demonstrate that jurisdictions can establish more effective and efficient systems to accomplish the purposes of juvenile detention.
Building Blocks for Youth
http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/
The Building Blocks for Youth initiative is an alliance of youth advocates, researchers, law enforcement professionals and community organizers seeking to reduce the overrepresentation and disparate treatment of youth of color in the justice system and promote fair, rational and effective juvenile justice policies. The website features state-by-state data, as well as information about the work done by BBY and its partners.
Campaign for Youth Justice
http://www.campaignforyouthjustice.org/
The Campaign for Youth Justice is a national organization dedicated to ending the practical of trying, sentencing, and incarcerating children under the age of 18 by empowering those moved to act for youth justice.
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ)
http://www.cjcj.org
CJCJ is a non-profit organization established to promote juvenile and criminal justice policies that reduce incarceration and promote long-term public safety. CJCJ provides direct services, technical assistance and policy research in the criminal justice field. The website feature articles on various juvenile justice topics and provides information on CJCJ's services and programs.
Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/education
The Children's Defense Fund aims to serve as a voice for America 's children, who cannot vote, lobby, and speak for themselves. CDF's Education and Youth Development Division educates communities about factors that contribute to violence and offers strategies to help keep children from harm. The aim is to teach children to avoid trouble, protect them from violence, and ensure a safe and productive learning environment. The website features a fact sheet on juvenile justice, current articles on the topic and links to other juvenile justice resources.
Child Welfare League of America
http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/juvenilejustice.htm
The Child Welfare League of America is a nonprofit organization that develops and promotes child advocacy programs and policies. The League includes more than 1,100 public and private agencies and offers employee training and consulting services. The website features information on the latest Congressional activity involving juvenile justice, action alerts, letters and juvenile justice background data.
Coalition for Juvenile Justice
http://www.juvjustice.org/
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) is a member-based national nonprofit association that strives to build safe communities one child at a time. Headquartered in Washington DC , CJJ develops and implements innovative strategies to promote delinquency prevention, to improve the treatment of young offenders, and to uphold public safety. The website features a number of fact sheets and information about CJJ publications.
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
http://www.fightcrime.org
Fight Crime is a bipartisan, nonprofit anti-crime organization led by police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, victims of violence, and leaders of police officer associations. The group's mission is to critically evaluate research about what programs help prevent criminal activity in youth and then put that information into the hands of policy-makers and the public. The organization advocates for additional state and federal money for programs that help kids get a good start in life, which helps prevent later criminal activity. The website features news releases, state and federal legislative updates, and information on how to get involved.
Justice Policy Institute (JPI)
http://www.justicepolicy.org
The Justice Policy Institute is a non-profit research and a public policy organization
dedicated to ending society's reliance on incarceration and promoting effective and
just solutions to social problems. The website features publications on various justice related topics, including information about confronting racial disparities in the juvenile justice system.
Juvenile Law Center
http://www.jlc.org
The Juvenile Law Center , located in Philadelphia , works to advance the rights and well-being of children involved with public agencies by working for the reform and coordination of the child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health and public health system. The website features extensive information on recent legal developments, research, and publications, in addition to general information on child welfare and mental health issues.
MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice
http://www.mac-adoldev-juvjustice.org/
The Research Network's goal is to enrich the debate surrounding the reexamination of the juvenile justice system through the critical analysis of juvenile justice policies and practices, and through new research on adolescent development and juvenile justice, which the Network communicates to policy-makers, practitioners, journalists, and other social scientists and legal scholars. The website features information on the Network's past and current research projects.
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
http://www.criminaljustice.org
NACDL advances the mission of the nation's criminal defense lawyers,
including juvenile defense lawyers, to ensure
justice and due process for persons accused of
crime or other misconduct. The site is designed
as both an open forum for the discussion of criminal
justice policies and practice as well as a private
online service for members of NACDL.
National Center for Mental Health
and Juvenile Justice
http://www.ncmhjj.com
The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile
Justice strives to develop improved policies and
programs for youth with mental health disorders
in contact with the juvenile justice system, based
on the best available research and practice. The
website provides research publications, program
briefs, training curricula, e-newsletters, and
a resource kit with a compilation of information
on the current and pertinent issues facing the
Juvenile Justice and Mental Health systems.
National Center for Youth Law
http://www.youthlaw.org
The National Center for Youth Law is a private, non-profit law office serving the legal needs of children and their families. NYCL engages in many forms of advocacy, including publishing materials related to juvenile law, providing technical assistance and training, assisting legal advocates in representation of poor children, and administrative and legislative advocacy. The website contains news links and information about NYCL publications.
National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice (EDJJ)
http://www.edjj.org
The EDJJ was created in response to the problem of the overrepresentation of youths with learning, behavioral, and emotional disabilities in correction and detention facilities. In addressing this growing problem, the center conducts research, policy analysis, trainings, and technical assistance activities, all of which aim to minimize the involvement of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system, and change perceptions about these youths capacity for achievement and success. The website features information on the center's training programs, links to relevant agencies, full-text reports on the center's research, and reports and articles created by other groups.
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ)
http://www.ncjfcj.org
NCJFCJ was founded by a group of judges dedicated to improving the effectiveness of the nation's juvenile courts. Through training, technical assistance and programs, the NCJFCJ assists judges and juvenile justice professionals in finding better ways to control and prevent juvenile delinquency. Most of the organization's publications are available for download from the website, including 2005's Juvenile Delinquency Guidelines , a book of best practices.
National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD)
http://www.nccd-crc.org
NCCD is a nonprofit organization that promotes effective, humane, fair and economically sound solutions to family, community and justice problems. NCCD conducts research, promotes reform initiatives, and seeks to work with individuals, public and private organizations and the media to prevent and reduce crime and delinquency.
National Juvenile Defender's Center (NJDC)
http://www.njdc.info/
NJDC is an organization comprised of juvenile defenders. Originally formed as part of the American Bar Association, the NJDC separated from the ABA to become an independent organization in 2005. NJDC aims to help juvenile defense attorneys address practice issues, improve advocacy skills, build partnerships, exchange information, and participate in the national debate over juvenile crime. In short, the organization strives to guarantee all children their right to quality representation.
National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
http://www.njjn.org
NJJN enhances the capacity of statewide juvenile justice coalitions (like Citizens for Juvenile Justice) to advocate for fair, equitable, and developmentally appropriate adjudication and treatment for all children, youth and families involved in the juvenile justice system. NJJN comprises twenty-four states and hopes to expand its roster of members to include all fifty states, the U.S territories, and the District of Columbia .
National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
http://www.nmha.org
NMHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans, especially the 54 million people with mental disorders, through advocacy, education, research and service. The website includes information about NMHA's Justice for Juveniles program, which seeks to highlight the critical unmet needs of the hundreds of thousands of young people with mental health and substance abuse problems caught up in America 's juvenile justice system.
Physicians for Human Rights Health and Justice for Youth Project
http://www.phrusa.org/campaigns/juv_justice/index.html
Physicians for Human Rights promotes health by protecting human rights. Through its Health and Justice for Youth Project, Physicians for Human Rights mobilizes health professionals to advocate for the rights of young people in the juvenile and criminal justice systems and engages in research that advances their protection.
The Sentencing Project
http://www.sentencingproject.org/
The Sentencing Project is a non-profit organization that promotes reduced reliance on incarceration and increased use of more effective and humane alternatives to deal with crime. It is a nationally recognized source of criminal justice policy analysis, data, and program information. The website features a section on children prosecuted in adult criminal court.
Vera Institute of Justice
http://www.vera.org/
The Vera Institute of Justice works closely with leaders in government and civil society to improve safety and justice services. The website features information about these ongoing research projects, including Vera's extensive research on institutions for youth.
Voices for America's Children
http://www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/
Formerly the National Association of Child Advocates, Voices is a nonpartisan, national organization committed to speaking out for the well being of children at the federal, state and local levels of government. Since 1984, Voices has supported child advocates nationwide who have achieved public policy victories for children in early education, health, juvenile justice, child welfare, tax and budget decisions and other areas. The website outlines the current policy goals of the network and lists the children's advocacy organizations that support the current agenda.
Federal Government
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
http://www.fbi.gov/
This is the official website for the FBI. The website provides crime statistics and FBI reports on issues such as gang violence and school shootings.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/
A division of the U.S. Department of Justice , OJJDP provides resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. OJJDP supports states and local communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective and coordinated prevention and intervention programs and improve the juvenile justice system. The website provides information on new publications, conferences, funding opportunities, and facts about the juvenile justice system.
US Department of Justice: Justice for Kids and Youth
http://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage
This website provides information on different aspects of justice for children K-12. The site is easy to navigate and lets kids learn about a wide array of justice-related issues. Covered topics include how to fight crime, the history of civil rights, and an explanation of what to expect in a courtroom.
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