The Gathering’s Mission
The Gathering: A Movement for Coordination to Engage Organizations in a Common Covenant for Justice and Ending Child Incarceration
Civil rights and social justice organizations have come to understand that collective action on a national basis is required to stop child incarceration and challenge the immoral process which perpetuates an unjust justice system. These groups are working under extremely difficult circumstances and many of them with little or no resources. The Gathering is a national movement that creates a coordinated space to 1) fortify relationships between regional groups, 2) support local endeavors and 3) enhance the ongoing organizing of non-violent direct action training. Central to its mission is strengthening our moral environment.
The Gathering’s Goals
We have had 6 Gatherings over the past year and half. Collectively over 1,000 youth and 200 elders have come together and declared their commitment to this mobilization. The coordination necessary to continue this work is in motion.
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The first gathering in Atlanta, was the Gathering of the Elders. In attendance were 200 national leaders not only representing the wisdom of history but also declaring their commitment and support to the objectives of the mission. |
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The second was the Gathering of the Youth in Epps, Alabama. This region, which gave birth to the black resistance movement and civil rights mobilization efforts, became the launch for the idea of becoming a national movement. |
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The third was the youth Gathering in
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The fourth was hosted by the Onondaga Nation. The young people of this Indian nation along with their Chiefs and Clan Mothers focused the group on the history of the Indigenous peoples of the United States and helped the visiting youth further understand the need for common bonding between all groups. |
| The fifth was at Alex Haley Farm in Tennessee. Young people gathered from the regions of Appalachia which gave the white community of coal miners and those victimized by justice miscarried, the opportunity to instruct all of those gathered about the commonality of class experiences across racial lines. |
| The last gathering of this series was held in Orange County, CA. Young leaders from the Asian American community put before the group thoughts and idea’s that helped us understand the complexities and diversity of their community. Powerful parallels of their civil and human rights struggle in this country were revealed to all those in attendance. |
Key Outcomes:
The key outcomes measure the advance towards our mission:
| Identification, recruitment and training of activists working on justices issues towards coordination and mutual support. |
| Rigorous policy research and support of policy at the local and national level. |
| Successful shifts in policy at the local and national level. |
Program:
There have been 3 strategies identified for The Gathering to bring added value to the movement:
1. Organize regional and national conferences to fortify local relationships nationally
2. Increased coordination with organizations using web based tools
3. Support local and national policy solutions advocated by The Gathering partners with coordinated non-violent direct action.
Focus Areas:
Leadership from the local level that has been actualized for The Gathering has allowed us to rank cities and states for targeting our coordinated efforts. We have used the following criteria to determine our focus areas:
1) Participation in The Gathering meetings
2) Capacity of the organizations on the ground
3) The current posture of local politicians to this issue. Groups with adequate capacity will facilitate local organizing committees and develop a detailed plan reflecting the current situation of their geographic area, mapping of current efforts, summation of policy solutions and request for support from the coordinated body needed for 2008.
The Scope of Youth Incarceration
MAY 2005
A 9-year-old
boy fidgets as he appears before Circuit Judge Peter Ramsberger on a
charge of attempted armed robbery. The boy pleaded guilty to going into
a convenience store with a towel wrapped around his hands as though he
had a gun.
DECEMBER 2000
Seventeen year old Mychal Bell of Jena, Louisiana was found guilty of aggravated second-degree battery assault by an all-white jury after allegedly participating in the beating of a white student. The weapon in this case was the tennis shoes Bell was wearing. The prosecutor claimed the tennis shoes had threatening potential. Bell may face over 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in September.
JULY 2007
*Read Lillian’s blog: “Injustice for the Jena 6″
Juvenile justice is criminal law applicable to persons not old enough to be held responsible for criminal acts, usually, the age for criminal culpability is 18. Juvenile injustices plague the United States in epidemic proportions. There is a steady increase in the rate of incarceration of youth from marginalized, disenfranchised, and impoverished communities. Rehabilitation is the initial claim and intent of juvenile justice systems. Yet, there are increasing signs that youth are treated like adults and rehabilitation is not truly achieved. This epidemic is perpetuated by systematic racism and facilitated by the prison-industrial complex. The proliferation of juvenile injustices is the motivation for the reform of systems and institutions dealing with juveniles and crime.
Our History, Present Law
In 1899, the first juvenile court was established in Chicago. By 1927, 47 states followed suit. Between 1966–1975, Supreme Court rulings further established juveniles’ due process rights. Decades of advocacy and reform efforts have produced the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974. Reauthorized in 2002, it awaits fiscal support through the budget process. JJDPA requires states receiving federal funds to: not detain status offenders (runaways, truants) in jails and prisons; separate juveniles (“out of sight and sound”) from adult inmates; prohibit detention of juveniles under juvenile court jurisdiction in adult jails (with only a few temporary exceptions); and systematically address the disproportionate representation of minorities (i.e., youth of color) in the juvenile justice system.
Youth in Placement, Jails, Prisons
How do youth wind up in jails and prisons? In the 1990s, 49 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws making it easier to prosecute youth immediately as adults. In any given year, transfers from juvenile to criminal court can be by: judicial waiver (8,000), prosecutorial discretion (estimates: 4,000–10,000), or legislative statute (estimates: 50,000–200,000). Other factors are the increased use of blending juvenile and adult sentences and “once an adult/ always an adult” provisions. According to the 1999 Census, nearly 109,000 juvenile offenders were held in residential placement. At mid-year 2002, a total of 3,055 state prisoners were under age 18. Adult jails held a total of 7,248 persons under age 18.
Research has shown that children in adult jails are:
• eight times more likely to commit suicide;
• five times more likely to be sexually attacked;
• twice as likely to be beaten by prison staff;
• 50 percent more likely to be attacked with a weapon.
Regarding Race and Gender
Young people of color make up roughly one-third of the total youth population (70 million), yet they represent two-thirds of the youth population currently incarcerated. In 1997, African Americans made up 58 percent of juvenile offenders admitted to adult prisons nationwide. A Human Rights Watch report states that Latino/a youth are incarcerated at higher rates than whites in 46 of the 50 states. In 2000, 655,700 arrests of females under age 18 represented 28% of all juvenile arrests. Between 1993 and 1997, increases in arrests were greater for girls than for boys in almost every offense category—rates have been rising since 1986.
Regarding Zero Tolerance and Schools
During the 1990’s, Congress passed “zero tolerance policies,” requiring mandatory expulsion for possession of guns at schools. School districts expanded these policies to cover other infractions. In 41 states, various infractions must be reported to law enforcement. These policies have been predominantly applied to black, Latino and disabled students. While figures alone do not prove intentional discrimination, they are a cause for concern.
Regarding the Juvenile Death Penalty
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, 83 male youth are on death row. Twenty two (22) youth who were convicted as juveniles have already been executed. The United States leads the world in such executions.
Minimum Age and Transfer Provisions Vary By State
At the threshold age of 18, youth are automatically under the jurisdiction of the adult criminal justice system in most states.
| Persons aged 16
are considered adults in three states— |
| Persons aged 17
are considered adults in ten states— |
| Twenty-three (23) states have no minimum age for transferring youth to adult court. |
| For all other states, the minimum age is from 10 to 15. |
Life Without Parole
| There were an estimated 2,225 youth under age 18 serving sentences of life without parole in 2002. In each year from 1990 to 2003, an average of 98 youth under age 18 were admitted to prison with a sentence of life without parole. Most of these youth serve their time in adult facilities. |
Incarceration in State Jails
| There was a 208% increase in the number of youth under age 18 serving time in adult jails on any given day between 1990 and 2004. The number of youth under age18 in adult jails rose sharply through the 1990s to a high of almost 9,500 in 1999 and then leveled off to an average of just over 7,200 since 2000. |
Census of Juveniles 17 and under in Residential Placement: Age on Census Date by Race/ Ethnicity for United States, 2003
| White - 32,301 |
| Black – 31,748 |
| Hispanic – 15, 252 |
| American Indian – 1,556 |
| Asian – 1,218 |
| Other – 739 |
TOTAL – 82, 814
Other organizations engaged in monitoring the placement of youth in jails and prisons:
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The Burns Institute |
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The Children’s Defense Fund |
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The Advancement Project |
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