Children's Action Alliance Research and Report

Children's Action Alliance does a lot of good work on juvenile justice issues in Arizona - check them out and support them when you can:

Phoenix Office:
Children's Action Alliance
4001 North Third Street, Suite 160
Phoenix, AZ 85012
caa@azchildren.org
Phone: (602) 266-0707
Fax: (602) 263-8792

Tucson Office
2033 East Speedway Boulevard, Suite 102
Tucson, AZ 85719
caa@azchildren.org
Phone: (520) 795-4199
Fax: (520) 319-2979

What follows is their page of reports on juvenile justice issues:

Juvenile Justice - Research & Reports

Who's For Kids and Who's Just Kidding? (July 27, 2011) Each year CAA keeps track of which state legislators voted for kids and which ones had other priorities. Today, CAA releases the 2011 legislative wrap-up and report card for kids, Who's For Kids and Who's Just Kidding?

In this wrap-up you will find the bills that we felt were the most important to the children and families of Arizona during the 2011 Arizona legislative session along with a record of the way your legislators voted on these bills.

Find out how your legislators voted!


Improving Public Safety by Keeping Youth Out of the Adult Criminal Justice System (November 2010)  This report documents recent research showing that Arizona youth and communities are safer and better served by keeping more youth in the juvenile justice system instead of the adult criminal justice system. With enhancements to current policies, Arizona can reduce recidivism, save unnecessary expenses and lead more youth to becoming law-abiding and productive. CAA outlines ten specific policy changes to help avoid unintended, undesirable and unjust consequences in cases of youth being prosecuted as adults. Read/Download the Executive Summary and/or the Full Report.

2010 Legislative Wrap-Up (May 7, 2010) The 2010 legislative session was again dominated by painful budget cuts and intense disagreements over policy. Many large budget cuts are still phasing in, with families losing behavioral health services, therapy for special needs, basic cash assistance for food and shelter – and more.
 
With a whole range of services being dismantled, there were some bright spots for kids from the legislative session. A few new laws will help children in foster care and one new law will clarify and improve juvenile justice policy. Thanks to a strong and strategic coalition and Arizona voices speaking loud and clear from all over the state, payday loans and their triple digit interest rates will sunset on June 30, 2010.
 
Click here to read our legislative wrap-up and see how representatives and senators voted on key issues for kids and families.

Prosecution of Youths as Adults(January 25, 2010) SB 1009 is designed to bring our justice policies for youth more in line with the current research, to recognize that youth are different from adults, and to minimize the unintended consequences of our laws that allow youth to be prosecuted in the adult system.

Please Support SB 1088 (January 25, 2010) SB 1088 is designed to bring our justice policies for youth more in line with the current research, to recognize that youth are different from adults, and to minimize the unintended consequences of our laws that allow youth to be prosecuted in the adult system.

Legislative Report Card for Kids(December 22, 2009) CAA today released its 2009 Legislative Report Card for Kids. Each year, the 90 members of our state legislature vote on dozens of pieces of legislation that shape the health, education, and safety of Arizona children and families. Children’s Action Alliance believes that every lawmaker has the responsibility to vote for kids. And our legislators should be held accountable and measured on their performance.

No on SB 1420(June 24, 2009) SB 1420 increases minimum incarceration periods and fines for youth involved in DUI offenses. If a youth completes a drug/alcohol screening and treatment program, the sentence may be suspended. This bill is an expensive mandate for locking up youth with no prospect for improvements in public safety or youth rehabilitation. 

Racial Disproportionality in the Juvenile Justice System in Maricopa County(2008) In most juvenile justice systems across the country, youth of color are overrepresented. Data examined for Maricopa County show that at each stage of the juvenile justice system and as consequences become more restrictive, the gap between Anglo youth and youth of color becomes much greater. This report presents the data and asks important questions for decision-makers and stakeholders to examine why this is happening so that strategies can be developed to assure equal justice for all youth. 

Children Charged with Sexual Offenses Are Different Than Adult Sex Offenders (2007) - Provides information on SB1628, recently signed into law by Governor Napolitano, regarding treatment of youth sex offenders.

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Juvenile Justice Publications

Prosecuting Juveniles in the Adult Criminal Justice System (June 2003) CAA and the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee have released this publication that includes Key Issues and Recommendations in treating juveniles in Arizona's criminal system.

Order It!View Publication Online