Juvenile In/Justice? In California, young people–primarily youth of color–are tried as adults and face sentences as harsh as life without the possibility of parole. Kids are pushed out of school. Cutting class leads to criminal arrest warrants. These are just some of the issues being addressed by the Youth Justice Coalition–just one of the community-based organizations we partner with. YJC  an extraordinary grassroots activist organization, its membership and leadership made up exclusively of young people who have been, or are currently under arrest, on probation, in detention, in prison, or on parole or whose parents/guardians, brothers, or sisters have been incarcerated for long periods of their lives. More than 100 youth a week are engaged in leadership development, organizing and advocacy through the YJC’s chapters or legal education workshops.

 ImaginAction artists and apprentices create street theatre and develop Forum Theatre pieces to involve the community in exploring strategies for change. As an outgrowth of our theatre workshops, Cynthia Foster offered young people at the YJC a free weekly class in video production.

Examples of our advocacy journalism on the subject are linked here: on the subject of Youth Reentry from Probation, on Extreme Sentences for Youth, on Mandatory Minimum Sentences, YJC’s March for Respect.

Here we consider Victim’s Rights in California: On Paper, in Practice.