WATCH: Short Documentary Explores History—and Present—of the Juvenile Justice System

By Kenrya Rankin Feb 08, 2018

A new short film from national advocacy campaign Youth First Initiative delves into the origin of youth prisons and how that history relates to today’s juvenile justice system, which disproportionately targets Black and Latinx children.


“We have what is essentially a separate system of justice for youth of color,” Carmen Daugherty, policy director for Youth First Initiative, said a statement. “By warehousing young people in abusive youth prisons, we’re continuing to deny them a chance at future success. Youth justice is racial justice—and that’s why this system of oppression needs to change.”


Posted today (February 8), the mini documentary is part of a broader campaign that aims to close prisons that house young people and invest in community-based programs that bolster them instead.