When young people are incarcerated—even briefly—it has serious long-lasting effects on them and their family. Rather than facing prosecution and incarceration, we believe that young people deserve resources and community support to help keep them at home and in school.Â
In New York City, similar to rates across the country, low-income Black and Brown young people are four times more likely to be involved in the youth legal system. Black youth in New York are also over eight times more likely to be detained or committed to juvenile facilities as their white peers.Â
Systemic racism and over-policing means that Black and Brown youth are far more vulnerable to incarceration, which can trap families in the cycle of poverty for generations.Â
While our youth defense clients may need legal representation during investigations or in court, our team strives to avoid prosecution altogether. Instead, we advocate for young people to get the support they need, stay together with their families, and help to ensure that they aren’t suspended from school because of an arrest.
We work to ensure that the youth we represent understand what is happening every step of the way and are a part of the decision-making process. Our goal is to defend and protect each child’s rights, reduce the harm inflicted by the youth legal system, and prevent or minimize incarceration time.
If you know of a child who is under 18 years old and wanted by the police in Manhattan, Queens, or the Bronx, we strongly recommend you contact us or another public defender before speaking with the police. While we cannot promise that we will represent the child, we will provide advice at a minimum.
For each of our clients, CFR provides an interdisciplinary team consisting of an attorney and social worker. Together, our team works with the child to support them and provide specialized legal defense.
As a youth defense client, we can refer children to our holistic services and provide team advocacy if their family is facing challenges with housing and public benefits or immigration. Our social work staff will also connect children and their family to any needed services, such as counseling.
Our attorneys represent children during probation adjustment and in delinquency proceedings in Family Court. Throughout the case, we help the child understand the process and advocate for their interests and goals. We strive to avoid prosecution and advocate to keep children at home with their families.
Learn more about the common terms we use at CFR and why we choose to use certain language like the family policing system instead of the child welfare system in order to accurately reflect the reality that thousands of Black and Brown families experience every day.
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Our team consists of attorneys, social workers, and parent advocates who have been through the systems themselves. Together, we fight alongside our clients for a future where every family can live free from surveillance and raise their children with self-determination.
Within this building are people who fight for families every single day and make sure that their voices are heard. -Teyora Graves-Ferrell, CFR Parent Advocate Director Watch Our Impact Video