AUSTIN –  A new report from the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) finds that confinement rates for status offenders – kids whose actions would not be considered criminal if committed by an adult – declined by 52 percent between 2001 and 2011. Despite this progress, an estimated 6,200 kids are confined annually for non-violent status offenses, such as running away from home, truancy and breaking curfew. The report highlights the need for continued reform to reduce our reliance on youth incarceration, which increases the likelihood that youths will become more serious offenders in the future.

Texas Public Policy Foundation will bring together a diverse group of experts in a telebriefing to discuss the state of youth confinement for status offenses, as well as the needs for policy reforms to address major shortcomings that exist in the juvenile justice system.

        WHAT: Telebriefing on new report by TPPF, "Kids Doing Time For What's Not A Crime"

        WHO: Marc LevinDirector of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation

        Chandlee Johnson Kuhn,Chief Judge, Family Court, State of Delaware

        Tara Grieshop-GoodwinChief Policy Officer, Kentucky Youth Advocates

        WHEN: Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 10:00 a.m. EDT

        CALL-IN: Please RSVP to Kyle Moler at [email protected] for the dial-in information. 

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

Primary website: www.TexasPolicy.com
Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/TexasPublicPolicyFoundation
Twitter feed: www.Twitter.com/TPPF