Policy Priorities
We advocate for community-driven strategies that nurture and develop the health and well-being of young people, instead of exclusionary practices like incarceration.
Elimination of Isolation and Restraint
Many schools and mental health facilities have adopted isolation and restraint tactics that originated in the carceral system as a way to control student behaviors. TeamChild believes that our schools and institutions can and must do better and hope that as we continue to invest in behavioral health support, staff training, technical support, and community resources that are designed to support all students, we will achieve the goal of eliminating these harmful and outdated tactics.
Housing for Youth Upon Release
One of our main priorities for the next year is to continue our work to support youth under 18 who do not have a safe or stable home to release to when they leave a detention facility or other place of incarceration. In these cases, young people do not have a family that is willing or able to care for them and the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is not stepping in to ensure safe housing. Youth at the end of their detention are stuck in detention facilities beyond their term because of a lack of safe housing options.
Our Current Priorities
Resentencing Hearings for Young Adults
A group of young people at the Green Hill Juvenile Rehabilitation program drafted a bill which would allow young people a hearing to demonstrate their personal growth, accountability, and healing in consideration of a reduced sentence. Many young people currently incarcerated have worked hard to better themselves through rehabilitation, education, and employment and deserve a chance to demonstrate their growth and change. We are working alongside affected youth and community to bring this bill forward.
Sealing Juvenile Legal Records
Even when a young person is able to get their juvenile record sealed, they do not always remain confidential. Once criminal records are on the internet, they never really disappear. Our goal for next year is to create an expectation of confidentiality in the juvenile legal system starting from when a young person is first brought into that system. The records will be protected from being made publicly available on the internet in the first place. Young people will have the opportunity to truly seal their records and not have to carry the mistakes of their youth with them forever.
Improving Conditions for Incarcerated Youth
The conditions in the DCYF (Department of Children, Youth, and Families) Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR) state prison system are unacceptable for youth. Facilities are overcrowded and lack adequate staffing. Poor conditions have led to an atmosphere of tension and instances of violence, and there is a lack of meaningful education, mental health support, substance abuse treatment, and opportunities for growth. Together with impacted youth and families we are working to hold DCYF accountable to make rehabilitation a realistic outcome for every young person in their custody at JR facilities.