Burns Institute | For Justice, Fairness & Equity

About the W. Haywood Burns Institute

Our philosophy is simple — Incarceration is harmful to the positive development of our children; Data is key towards an understanding the complexities of racial inequity within the youth justice system; and Local communities can play a critical role in transformational change.

A Brief History of Youth of Color in the Justice System

Today, more than 2 million people are incarcerated and more than 7 million are on probation, parole, or other supervision in the United States. Too much of the analysis about how we arrived at this situation and what should be done about it is ahistorical.

Mapping the Youth Incarceration Problem

With 75 percent of youth locked up for non-violent offenses, our country doesn't have an alarming crime problem. We have an incarceration problem.

Improving the Well-Being of Children of Color

The child well-being framework firmly asserts the rights of all young people, regardless of their race and ethnicity, to be viewed as children who are experiencing a normal adolescent journey and to be treated with fairness and equity.

News & Updates

Burns Statement on the Human Rights Crisis at the Border

The W. Haywood Burns Institute (BI) was founded on principles of human dignity and fair treatment for communities of color that are too often subject to policies and practices that are steeped in racialized institutional social control. The current immigration crisis represents this nation’s continuing tragic history of formally justifying inhumane treatment and the cruelty ...

Direct File Rates Arbitrarily Rising for Youth of Color

Prosecutors are directly filing charges against youth in adult court at greater rates, while juvenile crime has gone down, most heavily impacting youth of color.