Pennsylvania schools refer youth to the juvenile justice system 2.7 times more often than the national average, with wide variation across counties. Children are entering into the juvenile justice system for normal childhood behavior like fighting with peers. Research...
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Vulnerable Youth
Fact Sheet: Right-Size Interventions for Youth to Prevent Recidivism (HB1381) – Nov 2023
Research shows that most youth are not on a path toward adult crime, and over-involvement in the juvenile justice system can increase their likelihood of reoffending. HB 1381 (Rep. D. Miller) reduces the prosecution of children as if they were adults, expands...
We All Deserve a Second Chance – Mar 31, 2023
Giving Troubled Youth a New Lease on Life We’ve got news! Red states are some of the biggest leaders in addressing the juvenile justice blues. The data is clear that locking children up is the surest pathway to them entering the criminal justice system for a...
STATEMENT: Papering Over Past Abuses, Clock Tower Should Not Be Permitted to Operate (Feb 2023)
STATEMENT BY CHILDREN FIRST Papering Over Past Abuses, Clock Tower Should Not Be Permitted to Operate February 7, 2023 Children First strongly opposes the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) recent action to approve a license allowing Clock Tower Schools...
What’s Rozzi’s Agenda? – Jan 6, 2023
What Does the Fight for Speaker Mean? Pennsylvania’s new Speaker of the House, Mark Rozzi, made his mark doggedly fighting for years to get justice for survivors of childhood sexual abuse by extending the statute of limitations so that pedophiles don't get a...
REPORT: COVID Impact on the Juvenile Justice System in Philadelphia – Nov 2022
At the onset of the COVID pandemic, the decision of the stakeholders in the Philadelphia juvenile justice system to come together to identify solutions and develop a plan to mitigate the safety concerns facing youth in congregate settings set the groundwork to achieve...
POLICY PAPER: Alarming Trends Show More Children At Risk – Feb 2022
Alarming Trends Show More Children At Risk Child Abuse is Taking More Lives of Children in Philadelphia February 2, 2022 The stated purpose of Pennsylvania’s Child Welfare system is to “protect children from abuse, neglect, and enable children to remain safely in...
City Council Needs to Hear from YOU! – Jun 11, 2021
The Philadelphia budget negotiations are going fast and furious at City Hall. It's important that councilmembers hear from people like you who support initiatives that protect children and youth from violence. Our city is experiencing an alarming rise in gun...
DelCo Advocates for Children Add Their Voice to Call for More Reforms
Amy Kobeta, PCCY amyk@childrenfirstpa.com, 347-607-1058 mobile DelCo Advocates for Children Add Their Voice to Call for More Reforms Vacating Lima Detention Center Just the First Step to Protecting Kids in Care PHILADELPHIA (April 19, 2021)—Twenty organizations and...
Chambers of Horror – April 16, 2021
Stop the Harm and Start the Healing The case is clear. Philadelphia’s children need the protection of an independent Ombudsperson office mandated to conduct investigations when youth or parents report abuse of any sort while children are forced to live...