The CFSY and our partners at Human Rights for Kids, National Juvenile Justice Network, Human Rights Watch, Coalition for Juvenile Justice, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, First Focus Campaign for Children, and Rights4Girls have been leading advocacy efforts in Congress to change the way children are treated in the federal criminal justice system. In April, a bipartisan coalition led by Congressmembers Karen Bass, Tony Cárdenas, and Bruce Westerman introduced the most sweeping criminal justice reform package focused on children to date. If signed into law, these measures will fundamentally change the way kids in the justice system are treated by:

PROTECTING KIDS AT THE POINT OF ARREST/ENTRANCE INTO THE SYSTEM

H.R. 2834, by Congressman Tony Cárdenas, requires parents to be notified when a child is arrested and requires that the child consult with legal counsel before they can waive their constitutional rights and be subject to custodial interrogation.

ESTABLISHING A MINIMUM JUVENILE AND ADULT COURT AGE; REMOVING KIDS FROM ADULT JAILS & PRISONS; DATA COLLECTION; TREATMENT & SERVICES FOR VULNERABLE YOUTH

H.R. 2908, by Congresswoman Karen Bass, establishes a minimum age of 12 for criminal culpability for children; increases the minimum age for a child to be tried as an adult from 13 to 16; eliminates the felony murder rule for children; prohibits the placement of children in adult jails or prisons; requires data collection on youth who come into the federal criminal justice system; and establishes a grant block program for treatment and services for children under 12 and child victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

REFORMING SENTENCING STANDARDS FOR CHILDREN CONVICTED AS ADULTS & ENDING LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE SENTENCES FOR CHILDREN

H.R. 2858, by Congressman Bruce Westerman, retroactively ends life and de facto life without parole by giving individuals convicted of crimes as children the ability to petition a judge for sentencing review and modification after serving 20 years; gives judges the ability to depart from mandatory minimums when sentencing children; and protects child sex crime victims from harsh sentencing when they commit acts of violence against their abusers.

We need your help to spread the word and to show congressional leadership that child sentencing reform has broad bipartisan support and needs to be a priority this Congress. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO: 

Please contact your member of Congress and ask them to join this bipartisan coalition by signing-on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 2834, H.R. 2908, and H.R. 2858. If you don't know who your Representative is, you can easily look them up on the U.S. House of Representatives' website HERE.

When you contact your member of Congress' office, you can use the script below:
 

It is as easy as that! Be sure to extend your impact by having your family and friends contact their Members of Congress as well! You can also share our Coalition letter on your social media accounts and sign our Change.org Petition!

We are at a critical time in our work in Congress. Now, more than ever, we must demonstrate our resolve and send an unmistakable message to Congress that children in the justice system deserve better and it is time that we treat kids like kids. H.R. 2834, 2908, and 2858 are a good first step towards accomplishing that. Thank you for your help!