JUVENILE LAW CENTER

Juvenile Law Center advocates for rights, dignity, equity and opportunity for youth in the child welfare and justice systems.

NEWSLETTER SIGN UP https://go.pardot.com/l/352231/2017-04-27/37z  

We started as a non-profit public interest law firm directly representing individual youth, but soon realized our victories would be temporary or limited unless we tackled far-reaching problems caused by systemic failures across the country. Our work evolved, and our reach grew.

Today, we are a national advocacy organization fighting for youth and families affected by the child welfare and justice systems.

This strategic shift coincided with ill-conceived policies in the late 80's and 90's which pushed an unprecedented number of youth into both systems: the “war on drugs,” welfare “reform,” and misguided hysteria about the myth of “super-predator” children.

We responded to these threats at the highest level possible: the Supreme Court of the United States. Our efforts were pivotal in several landmark Supreme Court rulings, including:

Juvenile Law Center’s role in the Luzerne County “kids-for-cash” case – one of the most egregious judicial scandals in U.S. history and which violated the rights of thousands of children – made national and international headlines.