While changing terminology in the juvenile code may seem inconsequential, words matter. That’s why Youth, Rights & Justice proposed and supports SB 436 and the changes in language it makes to the juvenile code. Right now, youth who commit crimes … Read More
Building off years of reform efforts and in partnership with a broad cross-section of local stakeholders, Multnomah County is hosting an examination and transformation of juvenile probation. Supervising Attorney Lisa Kay Williams serves on the project steering committee, along … Read More
In late 2016, the staff at Youth, Rights & Justice noticed that a number of our clients in foster care were being housed in hotel rooms for long periods of time — weeks or even months — rather than … Read More
The 2021 Oregon Legislative Session begins this week and, although this session looks different from years past due to the restrictions in place from COVID-19, there are many important bills that could shape the future of juvenile justice in Oregon. … Read More
For many youth, the gateway to incarceration begins with a referral from the classroom to the courtroom. Youth involved in the juvenile justice system are at serious risk of being pushed out of school and pulled into a mass … Read More
Immigrant children have recently been in the news again as the United States Supreme Court issued a decision addressing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program initiated by President Obama. The Department of Human Services v. Regents of the … Read More
The First Special Session of 2020 was remarkable. In light of a global pandemic, the members of the legislature held hearings remotely and practiced social distancing when voting. Spurred to action by nightly protests condemning racialized policing practices, the legislature … Read More
By Amy Miller | YRJ Executive Director The government deprives poor women of their privacy rights. In her well-researched book, The Poverty of Privacy Rights, Khiara M. Bridges explains how the moral constructions of indigent motherhood have empowered society—and, in … Read More
I. The Youth Legal Clinic The Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) recognized the need for incarcerated youth to have more legal information about their constitutional rights and increased access to the courts. Subsequently, OYA reached out to the Criminal Justice … Read More
By Ginger Fitch | YRJ Staff Attorney The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is a federal law passed in 1978 in response to the alarmingly high number of Indian children being removed from their homes by both public and … Read More