RISE for Youth is pleased that Governor McAuliffe, in his Fiscal Year 2017 Savings Plan to address Virginia’s state budget shortfall, protected critical funding within the Department of Juvenile Justice tied to the build-out of a breadth of community-based alternatives to incarceration for youth.
We urge policymakers to remain committed, as they did with strong bipartisan support during the 2016 legislative session, to ensuring funds from the closure of Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center and other savings are reinvested into these family and community options, which are proven to reduce recidivism, keep communities safer, and provide a meaningful path to rehabilitation and success for young people in the justice system.
RISE for Youth is a statewide, nonpartisan campaign coalition whose central goal is to develop a continuum of community-based alternatives to incarceration that will keep juvenile justice system involved youth closer to their homes and support networks while making our communities safer. For more information on RISE for Youth, join our advocacy network here, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.