For Black, Brown, Indigenous, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ youth, the rates of incarceration are alarmingly higher than their white peers. Not because they commit more crimes but rather because they are criminalized at higher rates for the same infractions as their white peers. 

Nationally, Black youth are 4.7 times more likely to be incarcerated than their White peers. Indigenous youth are 3.7 times more likely, and Hispanic youth are incarcerated at a 16% higher rate than White youth ¹.  

In Pennsylvania, these disparities are even worse.  PA ranks higher in incarceration rates than 11 of the founding NATO nations². African American youth in Pennsylvania are 5.7 times more likely to be incarcerated than their White peers, and by 2050, Hispanic Youth are projected to account for one-third of all incarcerated youth in Pennslyvania³. 

If you or your loved ones have been impacted by the Pennslyvania juvenile incarceration system, please share your story here. 

In partnership with the PA Youth Safety Coalition, MomRising’s Kelsey Reyes and Karen Showalter traveled to the Pennsylvania State Capitol to speak with both Democrat and Republican legislators about addressing juvenile justice reform in Pennsylvania. The Coalition is a diverse statewide coalition made up of youth, system-impacted young adults, parents, service providers, and policy organizations. 

The coalition met with several legislators to talk about the introduction of 8 bills that would cover issues related to juvenile justice reform⁴. Topics include: 

• Raise the minimum age from 10 to 13 that a child can be charged in court.

• Reduce the number of children in the juvenile justice system through the expansion of diversion programs, which allow kids to take accountability for low-level offenses outside of the formal court process.

• Reduce the number of kids incarcerated in detention centers and secure facilities.

• Reduce the adult prosecution of children.

• Ensure a robust system of oversight of detention and residential facilities, including an independent statewide Office of Child Advocate.

Take action to tell Governor Shirpio and the PA legislature to invest in our youth, not prisons!

Studies have shown that when young people involved in the juvenile justice system avoid incarceration and engage in these types of reforms and alternatives [including but not limited to home confinement, treatment, therapy, and youth-centric intensive supervision programs], the rate of conviction and rearrest is dramatically reduced.

Coalition members were met with positive bipartisan support and plan to continue strengthening legislative relationships as bill language is developed. The coalition aims to introduce these by the summer with bipartisan sponsorship. 

MomsRising is committed to juvenile justice reform and investing in avenues of public safety that make our communities safe environments to live, grow, and thrive.

Resources: 

[1]https://www.sentencingproject.org/app/uploads/2024/08/Youth-Justice-By-T... 

[2] https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2024.html 

[3]https://jlc.org/news/disturbing-new-photos-inside-phillys-juvenile-jail-...

[4]https://www.childrenfirstpa.org/issues/vulnerable-youth/