Martha Gonzalez-Cortes is Senior Vice President of Community Investment at Kalamazoo Community Foundation in Michigan. She has a deep working knowledge of immigration policy issues, and a passion for finding systemic solutions to challenges faced by immigrant and refugee families.
An NASW social justice brief reports that Black youth make up about 14 percent of the total youth population, but comprise 47.3 percent of the youth who are transferred to adult court by juvenile court judges. Guests Mel Wilson, NASW's social justice and human rights manager, and Jeree Thomas, policy director at the Campaign for Youth Justice, discuss this unjust practice.
In the United States, in every state, youth under age 18 are eligible to be transferred from juvenile court to adult court. In adult court, youth receive public criminal records, get locked behind bars in adult jails, and receive lengthy sentences in facilities that were not made to take their social or brain development into account.
MyNASW is the online community for NASW members where you can share knowledge and build your network.
Visit MyNASW
Sign up for this free e-newsletter for a daily round-up of the top media stories affecting the social work profession.
Sign up for SmartBrief
This bi-monthly magazine is the association's flagship publication.
Read the latest issue
Hear experts explore topics that social workers care about.
Listen and subscribe