TODAY, the Dallas Morning News published an article by Josephine Peterson, outlining the abuse and neglect experienced by youth held in Dallas’ Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center. We are increasingly troubled by reports from youth in Dallas, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and other detention centers around the state. We urge you to join the chorus of community members demanding change.
We also wanted to share a new resource to help you stay up to date on these developing stories. LSJA’s Breaking News page collects these stories into one easy-to-use page, providing readers a full scope of the problems facing youth in Texas. Please visit it frequently as we continue to share the stories of our clients and their families.
Project Partners
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Through our Youth Sentencing Project, we provide direct strategic litigation on behalf of youth who were tried in the adult criminal legal system and given extremely long prison sentences, particularly those sentenced to life without parole.
Youth should be held accountable for their wrongdoing in developmentally appropriate ways that consider their age, individual characteristics, and specific circumstances of their cases.
Our staff litigators take the lead on a limited number of cases every year, selecting those that have the potential to influence system-wide change. Last year, LSJA was involved in 13 cases challenging the transfer of youth (either as lead counsel or in a technical support role) and won 12 of these cases.
