Our Work

CCLP staff work on a range of issues affecting at-risk youth. You can read a summary of our current issues below and follow the links to learn more about our individual projects. You can also hear Executive Director Mark Soler describe our work on video by following this link, thanks to the generous support of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation's Giving Library.

Promoting Racial Justice

CCLP helps counties, parishes and states across the country to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system that harm youth of color. We provide guidance to develop and promote systems change, learning opportunities, and practical solutions to jurisdictions from eight states involved in the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Initiative and Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Action Network (Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, North Carolina and Kansas). In addition, we provide on-site technical assistance to Connecticut’s two largest cities, Bridgeport and Hartford, with support from the Tow Foundation, as well as jurisdictions in Colorado and Florida, with support from the MacArthur Foundation and the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

CCLP is also collaborating with the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University to offer a three and a half day intensive training designed to support local jurisdictions in their efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in their juvenile justice system, which will be offered during September 2013. Our staff also train judges, probation departments, service providers and other groups upon request.

Advancing Detention Reform

CCLP staff help jurisdictions across the country reduce unnecessary incarceration of youth without jeopardizing public safety. We provide technical assistance to sites that participate in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), including jurisdictions from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Kentucky. With the support of the Public Welfare Foundation, we are also helping the District of Columbia's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to implement a system of graduated sanctions and incentives to support youth in community-based placements without jeopardizing public safety.

Ending Sexual and Physical Abuse in Juvenile Facilities

According to recent data, the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that more than 1 in 10 youth in state juvenile facilities and large local facilities were sexually victimized by staff or youth in a 12-month period. We are working with public officials in Washington, DC, New York City, and New York State to help them implement the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and adopt best practices for preventing, detecting and responding to abuse in facilities.

Reforming Conditions of Confinement

Our staff members work to improve conditions of confinement for youth in local and state juvenile facilities by providing information, training, technical assistance, help with policy development, and advice to public officials, community leaders, and other advocates across the country. For example, our staff partnered with the Louisiana Juvenile Detention Association and parish and state officials to develop and implement Louisiana’s first set of mandatory best practice standards for conditions, policies, and practices in parish juvenile detention facilities. We also help JDAI sites across the country ensure safe and humane conditions in their juvenile detention facilities through training, facility assessments, and monitoring of conditions.

Promoting Policy and Legislative Change at the Federal Level

CCLP leverages its presence in the nation’s capital to support federal efforts to improve the lives of at-risk youth. For example, CCLP staff provide information on new research and best practices to members of Congress and advocate for needed changes in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). CCLP also serves on the steering committee of the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC), a collaborative array of youth- and family- serving, social justice, law enforcement, corrections, and faith-based organizations, working to ensure healthy families, build strong communities and improve public safety by promoting fair and effective policies, practices and programs for youth involved or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Our staff have also engaged in advocacy with other federal agencies, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services, on reforms affecting children in the areas of mental health, juvenile justice, criminal justice, and immigration.

Other Projects

Leadership Development: The Future Project

Planning and implementing a comprehensive fellowship program to identify, train, mentor, network, and find leadership positions for the next generation of juvenile justice leaders. Learn More»

Disability Rights: NDRN

Working with the National Disability Rights Network and Protection and Advocacy programs around the country to protect the rights of disabled youth in the juvenile justice system. Learn More»

Completed Projects

Racial Justice: Building Blocks for Youth

Continuing to inform the public about findings from the 11 major reports prepared for Building Blocks, a multi-strategy initiative to reduce racial and ethnic disparities. Learn More»

Racial Justice: Travis County, TX

Helping the Travis County Juvenile Probation Department to analyze sources of DMC and develop alternatives to secure detention for youth who violate probation. Learn More»

Confidentiality: Information-sharing with Agencies, the Media, and the Public

A project for the Abell Foundation, analyzing Maryland confidentiality laws and how public agencies responsible for children decide whether and how to disclose information to other agencies and to reporters. Learn More»

Conditions of Confinement: Prison Rape Elimination Commission

Preventing sexual assault and other abuses in jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities by assisting the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission in developing standards for submission and approval by the U.S. Attorney General. Learn More»

Conditions of Confinement: Texas

Assisting the Texas Youth Commission in revising standards for juvenile facilities in Texas to meet constitutional requirements and move toward best practices. Learn More»

Education: Removing Barriers to Education in Virginia

Collaborating with children's advocates in Virginia to remove barriers to education stability for foster youth and youth in the juvenile justice system.
Learn More»