Today the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) and the W. Haywood Burns Institute released a report that explores how racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in access to education, employment, and housing impact the contact people will have with the criminal justice system.

The NAACP celebrated its 101st year anniversary in Kansas City, MO, drawing thousands from across the country including civil rights leaders such as BI Executive Director James Bell. Also in attendance were First Lady Michelle Obama, Reverend Jesse Jackson and Reverend Al Sharpton, and author Michelle Alexander.

On June 15 we held an event exploring how we can transform the juvenile justice system: "There is a Better Way: Ending Our Addiction to Incarceration."

The Burns Institute has recently produced a video about our work in three model sites.

We at The W. Haywood Burns Institute (BI) believe that a major reason why so many youth of color come into contact with the juvenile justice system is because other forces beyond their control have a powerful undertow that often pulls them into the system. That is why we have been convening a number of experts from various fields to explore how certain substantive issue areas overlap, and to identify what drivers from each area may lead youth of color to the juvenile justice system. The subjects have been: Immigration, Housing/Gentrification, Health, Workforce Development, and Education.

We held a successful and sold-out training institute for jurisdictional stakeholders interested in disparities reduction work October 14-16, 2009 in San Francisco.

As we acknowledge the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King from the March on Washington, it is hard to resist the metaphorical use of water in reference to the administration of justice in our nation.

Where I am from, boys do not become men they become inmates, lifers whose development is stifled by institutionalization. Girls do not mature to womanhood, they become baby-mommas forced to hustle and prostitute their adult lives away, their growth strangled by the byproducts of institutionalization.

When first presented with the opportunity to tour the N.A. Chaderjian (Chad) and O.H. Close Youth Correctional Facilities in Stockton, California I had my reservations. I’d heard the reports about the terrible conditions at facilities as well as seen the headlines of suicides and dog attacks that had taken place there over the past several years. But it was these same reservations that motivated me to seize the opportunity and see firsthand what is really happening at these facilities.

Louisiana is notorious for housing some of the most brutal youth prisons in the country. In recent years, it’s made great strides toward reform, as leaders introduced more therapeutic, rehabilitative models.

When Tedi Snyder was 15-years-old, he was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with attempted murder in an incident where no one was killed. Now Tedi faces 80 years to life in prison. His first parole date would be at age 95.