The LWVK is proposing a new position for Juvenile Justice. Please join us!  Our thanks to Gabrielle Thompson-Weaver who is instrumental in this effort and who will join us for this Zoom meeting.

Our task: Our state League is seeking input and concurrence on this position from all local Leagues.The draft document is below. We will meet to give feedback and approve the position. (Members only may vote on this proposal.)

Please check your League email for the Zoom link.  If you wish to be an observer, please email lwv.manhattanks [at] gmail.com

2022 PROPOSED POSITION ON JUVENILE JUSTICE

 1.     The LWVK believes that the values enumerated in the LWVK Criminal Justice Statement of Position, as revised in April 2021, also apply to juvenile offenders as follows:

A) Implementation of humane and caring public safety practices.

B) Ensuring and maintaining appropriate and adequate funding of the entire juvenile justice system.

C) Development of alternatives to incarceration and detention.

D) Disposition which focuses on the maturity and needs of the juveniles and their families.

E) Protection of all civil rights of juveniles.

2.     LWVK supports the protection of both public safety and juvenile development through the following: 

A) Support for juveniles’ families.

B) Strong educational institutions.

C) Community involvement in the juvenile justice process. 

D) Implementation of effective, data-driven, evidence-based prevention programs. 

E) A goal of positive juvenile development.

These options should increase the youth’s civic awareness which would include understanding harm the juvenile may have done to victims and the community and would provide opportunities for the juvenile to make amends to the victim and the community.

3.     LWVK supports community-based programs in the least restrictive environment. For example, mental health services or legal assistance may be provided through technology-assisted formats, being sure to recognize the age and maturity of the juvenile. These programs should:

A) Include the juvenile’s family and community of supportive adults.

B) Be closely monitored and evaluated for effectiveness and equity.

4.     LWVK supports Kansas juvenile justice statutes as updated by 2016 SB 367. These statutes must be enforced. In particular, all staff and volunteers who serve juvenile offenders must be thoroughly trained on a regular basis, and the Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee must monitor and report on all such training, pursuant to 2016 SB 367 New Section 4 (d) and (e) and K.S.A. 38-2394. Court-appointed defense attorneys, juvenile prosecutors and juvenile court judges should also be required to undergo such training. The training should include the areas of child, adolescent and family development and racial and cultural bias. 

5.     LWVK supports adequate and appropriate funding for all juvenile justice programs. Programs should leverage federal, state, and local funding streams in an equitable manner across jurisdictions.

6.     LWVK supports initial assessments and regular reassessments of the individual needs of juvenile offenders to assist the juveniles and their families. Assessments should include, for example, substance use disorders and mental health needs of the juvenile and of the entire family or community of supportive adults.

7.     LWVK supports:

A) The rights of juveniles to Individual Plans of Study to ensure continuity of education whether in the community or out-of-home placement.

B) The rights of juveniles to access treatment for substance use disorders, mental health needs, and issues of anger and aggression.

C) The rights of juveniles to personal autonomy, which includes the ability to control one’s own body, to assert bodily integrity and to exercise self-determination.

D) The rights of juveniles to education regarding interpersonal relationships.

 8.     LWVK opposes:

A) Isolation or solitary confinement of juvenile offenders.

B) Routine handcuffing or shackling of juvenile offenders.

C) Life sentences for juvenile offenders.