Issue-Based Advocacy

The Burns Institute is committed to focusing on specific issues that affect young people of color in the juvenile justice system. The BI will accomplish this by sponsoring conferences and conducting research on issues such as the juvenile death penalty, mental health in the juvenile justice system, and "zero tolerance" in school discipline. Policies and practices regarding these issues have a unique impact on young people of color in the juvenile justice system. BI Director James Bell and the BI staff have extensive experience in these policy areas.

Below are links to some valuable reports on these issues:

Juvenile Death Penalty

The Juvenile Death Penalty Today: Death Sentences and Executions for Juvenile Crimes, January 1, 1973 - December 31, 2002, by Victor L. Streib

Mental Health in the Juvenile Justice System

Screening and Assessing Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Among Youth in the Juvenile Justice System, by Thomas Grisso and Lee Underwood (PDF)

"Zero Tolerance" in School Discipline

Unintended Consequences: The Impact Of 'Zero Tolerance' And Other Exclusionary Policies On Kentucky Students, by David Richart, Kim Brooks and Mark Soler (PDF)