Emancipate NC is proud to announce that we have been selected as one of five organizations nationally to receive funding for COVID-19 Youth Justice Response. This project is a partnership between the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. You can read the official announcement on the NJJN website.
The aim of the project is to decarcerate youth correctional facilities amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In North Carolina, hundreds of children are confined today, even in the wake of a COVID-19 pandemic that makes congregate living even more dangerous than usual. We know that confinement is damaging and unproductive in terms of developing the human potential of justice-involved youth. Restorative practices are a more humane and effective option to address the harms of most juvenile unlawful acts. COVID-19 has given us an opportunity to immediately move some youth out of confinement settings, but we must be vigilant against the state’s impulse to use of solitary confinement for “quarantine” purposes and the loneliness and isolation that comes from blocking family visitation and programming.
Emancipate NC will mobilize and train youth and other directly-impacted people in a fellowship program called the Justice League. We are currently seeking nominations of formerly-incarcerated people and youth impacted by incarceration to receive stipends and learn advocacy and organizing skills aimed at emancipating children from detention.
We invite you to learn more about the Justice League, and apply to join. Both youth and adults are encouraged to apply to become Justice League Fellows.