Protecting our youth: Advocating for family services in the juvenile justice system

Abstract

Juveniles are entering the justice system at exceptional rates. Nearly 700,000 minors were arrested in 2019 in the United States, calling for a social justice movement. This paper explores the zero-tolerance policies being implemented in school systems, grades K-12, across the U.S. Schools began implementing zero-tolerance policies in an attempt to control drug-war crimes, regulate firearm activity, and control gang-related activity in the 1980s. However, they are still in place today and are being used for minor infractions. Zero-tolerance policies make up the school-to-prison pipeline because they force youth out of the school systems via expulsion or suspension and into the criminal justice system. Zero-tolerance policies focus on punitive actions, including incarceration, rather than social and restorative justice, disproportionately targeting racial minority groups. The article offers clinical implications for working in the juvenile justice system through a restorative justice and incarcerated informed lens.