Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth | CFSY

Press Release: Maryland Governor Signs SB162, Building on 2021 JLWOP Abolition and Reaffirming That No Child is Irredeemable

karmah — Wed, 13 May 2026 21:39:31 +0000

Press Release: Maryland Governor Signs SB162, Building on 2021 JLWOP Abolition and Reaffirming That No Child is Irredeemable

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2026

Media Contact: Adam Kemerer | akemerer@cfsy.org

May 13, 2026 – Yesterday, the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) celebrated Governor Wes Moore’s signing of SB162, which expands review eligibility for children serving lengthy sentences in Maryland. The bipartisan bill affirms that review provisions contained in Maryland’s Juvenile Restoration Act (JRA) apply to children sentenced after October 1, 2021, ensuring that all people sent to prison in Maryland for offenses committed when they were under 18 years of age receive the opportunity for sentencing review.

Passed in 2021, the JRA enables Maryland judges to review the sentences of individuals who committed offenses while under 18 who were sentenced prior to October 1, 2021. With the signature of SB162, now all children in Maryland have this opportunity. The JRA also prohibited children from being sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, making Maryland the 25th state to ban the practice. Today, 28 states and the District of Columbia ban life without the possibility of parole for children.

“As a resident of Maryland who was also sent to prison as a child, I’m grateful that my state has signed SB162 into law,” said Eddie Ellis, Co-Director of Outreach & Member Services at CFSY. “We’ve now stated loud and clear that no child is irredeemable and unworthy of sentencing review. This technical fix to the Juvenile Restoration Act ensures that children will have the opportunity to have their sentences reviewed after 20 years. This gives them hope at the start of their sentences, with every child having the opportunity to demonstrate their growth just as I did.”

“We would like to thank our partners in Maryland, especially survivors of youth violence, formerly incarcerated youth, and their families, who fought to ensure no child in Maryland is imprisoned without hope,” said Crystal Carpenter, Chief Operations Officer at CFSY. “We applaud this bipartisan success in the Maryland General Assembly. We are especially grateful for our bill sponsors Senator Chris West and Delegate Sean A. Stinnett, and Governor Wes Moore for ensuring that all children sentenced to extreme sentences will have meaningful opportunities for review.”

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The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is a nonprofit that leads efforts to ban life-without-parole and other extreme sentences for children, and supports those incarcerated as children who are released after serving long sentences to lead and thrive.

For more information, or if you would like to arrange an interview, please contact Adam Kemerer at akemerer@cfsy.org

The post Press Release: Maryland Governor Signs SB162, Building on 2021 JLWOP Abolition and Reaffirming That No Child is Irredeemable appeared first on Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth | CFSY.

Press Release: Virginia Improves Parole Process for Hundreds of Individuals Serving Lengthy Sentences Since Childhood

karmah — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:33:23 +0000

Press Release: Virginia Improves Parole Process for Hundreds of Individuals Serving Lengthy Sentences Since Childhood

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 23, 2026

Media Contact: Callie King-Guffey | callie@cfsy.org

April 23, 2026 – Today, the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) celebrates a landmark victory for those sentenced as children in Virginia, as SB60/HB318 is officially set to become law this year. This critical legislation strengthens the parole decision-making process for individuals who were sentenced to life or long-term imprisonment for offenses committed as children.

In 2020, Virginia became the 23rd state to ban life-without-parole sentences for children, granting parole eligibility after 20 years of incarceration to all people in Virginia who were under the age of 18 at the time of their offense. However, as State Senator Mamie Locke noted in her testimony, “very few individuals have been released” in the first five years following the historic reform, highlighting the urgent need for a process that honors the spirit of the original ban and the legal requirements that the opportunity for release is “meaningful.”

SB60/HB318 ensures the parole process aligns with the established science of adolescent brain development and fulfills the constitutional requirement of providing a “meaningful opportunity for release” based on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation. The bill is anticipated to impact hundreds of individuals incarcerated since childhood. The portion of the bill impacting parole procedures for youth will take effect on July 1, 2026.

“The passage of SB60/HB318 recognizes that children are uniquely capable of change. As a formerly life-sentenced child myself, I am thrilled that my peers in Virginia will have an opportunity similar to how the Pennsylvania Parole Board considered my youth when I, and hundreds of others, were successfully reviewed and paroled,” said Abd’Allah Lateef, Deputy Director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. “By refining the parole process to reflect the hallmarks of youth and the capacity for transformation, Virginia is aligning its practices with the law and the science of human development. We are grateful to the Virginia General Assembly, especially bill sponsors Senator Mamie Locke and Delegate Patrick Hope, and Governor Abigail Spanberger for ensuring that those who have spent decades working toward redemption are given a fair chance to return home.”

Among those celebrating the news is Anthony Gomez, a member of the CFSY’s Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN). Gomez was the first person granted parole in Virginia under the 2020 law after serving 24 years for a crime committed at age 17. Since his release, he has become a legal support analyst at a multinational corporation and founded a nonprofit organization.

“I was told I would die in prison for the terribly poor choices I made at age 17. Having the chance to come home and prove that I am more than my worst mistake has been the greatest blessing of my life,” said Gomez. “But I know all too well that there are hundreds of men and women still behind bars who have done the work, who have transformed their lives, but are stuck in a broken process. The passage of SB60/HB318 serves as a beacon of hope for those still inside, worthy of the same second chance I was given. It tells them that their growth matters and that their homecoming is within reach.”

CFSY looks forward to working with state officials and local partners in Virginia to put this statute into action and improve Virginia’s parole process for those sentenced as children.

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For more information, or if you would like to arrange an interview, please contact Callie King-Guffey at callie@cfsy.org | 503-853-2409

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New Podcast: "Before They Could Dream"

karmah — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:28:24 +0000

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is excited to announce the launch of the new podcast “Before They Could Dream”, a joint project between the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions (AIFCS), the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY), and Green Buzz Agency.

Hosted by the CFSY’s Deputy Director, Abd’Allah Lateef, this seven-episode series explores the history, lived experiences, and lasting impact of youth incarceration in the United States from the perspective of six members of the CFSY’s Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN), all of whom were given extreme carceral sentences as children.

The first 3 episodes will be available on March 10th; subsequent episodes will be released on Tuesdays, through April 7th. Subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598463/follow

Featured Podcast Guests

Abd’Allah Lateef, Podcast Host, Deputy Director, CFSY
Episode 2: Donnell Drinks, Leadership and Development Engagement Coordinator, CFSY
Episode 3: Catherine Jones, Co-Director of Outreach and Partnership Development, CFSY
Episode 4: Eddie Ellis, Co-Director of Outreach and Member Services, CFSY
Episode 5: April Barber Scales, Founder, Fenced In: Fighting for Freedom Advocacy
Episode 6: James Carpenter, Co-Executive Director, Neighbors for Justice DC

Additional Experts include:

Eduardo Bocanegra, Interim Executive Director of the Noah’s Arc Foundation and former Senior Advisor at the Office of the Attorney General for the Department of Justice of the United States
Dr. Robert Kinscherff, Executive Director of the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior
Marsha Levick, co-founder and former chief legal officer of the Juvenile Law Center
ayoola mitchell, founder of the National Healing Collective, mom, and survivor
Joshua Rovner, Senior Research Analyst at The Sentencing Project, a research and advocacy organization working to advance effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice
Yasmin Vafa, co-founder and Executive Director of Rights4Girls, an advocacy organization working for the dignity and rights of young women and girls so that every girl can be safe and live a life free of violence and exploitation

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A Decade After Montgomery v. Louisiana: Progress, Gaps, and the Promise of Meaningful Review for Children Serving Extreme Sentences

karmah — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 19:04:33 +0000

Published January 23, 2025 the report A Decade After Montgomery v. Louisiana: Progress, Gaps, and the Promise of Meaningful Review for Children Serving Extreme Sentences examines the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2016 decision.

The post A Decade After Montgomery v. Louisiana: Progress, Gaps, and the Promise of Meaningful Review for Children Serving Extreme Sentences appeared first on Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth | CFSY.

Highlights from 2025

karmah — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 17:36:24 +0000

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) continued to grow and evolve in 2025, thanks to the power of our community. We remained focused on racial justice and the resilience of those directly impacted by the extreme sentencing of children. We deepened our commitment to healing through transformative and restorative justice. We protected past victories and pursued new ones.

Here are key highlights from our year:

Celebrating Freedom and the Legacy of Bryan Stevenson

The culminating moment of our year was the 2025 Freedom Celebration held this past November in Philadelphia. Bringing together over 300 community members, including ICAN members and long-time supporters, the event served as the “prom, graduation, and birthday party” many of our members missed while incarcerated.

We were overjoyed to honor CFSY Co-Founder Bryan Stevenson for his legendary leadership and relentless pursuit of justice.

Healing Through Community Care

The holistic well-being of our community is our priority. We hosted two landmark retreats focused on transformative healing:

Community Care Retreat: In June, we gathered at Sandy Cove for a time of reflection and rest. For many ICAN members and their families, this was a vital space to “just be kids again” and prioritize self-care that is often neglected in the fight for justice.
Inaugural Survivors Retreat: In October, we hosted our first-ever Survivors Retreat at Pendle Hill. Survivors of youth violence and lost loved ones came together to build trust, share pain, and find collective strength.

Advocacy and Implementation

We fought to pass and protect laws and ensure fair implementation:

Defending D.C. Reform: Our team, alongside partners and ICAN and NFN members, headed to Capitol Hill to urge Congress to protect the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA) and vote “No” on regressive bills.
Minnesota & Michigan: We continued deep implementation work in Minnesota following the ban of life sentences for children. We also returned to Michigan to mobilize support in the state with the nation’s largest population of individuals serving life sentences for childhood offenses, where we remain committed.
Transformative Healing and Restorative Justice: We engaged in conversation with our partners through a series of webinars, exploring how accountability and care can interrupt cycles of trauma.

Other 2025 Milestones

Roper at 20: 2025 marked the 20th anniversary of Roper v. Simmons, the Supreme Court decision that ended the death penalty for children. Listen to CFSY staff member Donnell Drinks’ reflections on this milestone as someone who was given the death penalty as a child.
Staff updates: We welcomed Saif Imtiaz and Destiny M. Hibbler to the CFSY staff to bolster our research and legal implementation efforts and celebrated the return of Jody Kent Lavy, CFSY co-founder and former executive director, as a Stoneleigh Fellow.
For the second year in a row, we debuted updates to the “Letters from the Inside.” The virtual gallery showcases the art, poetry, and reflections on healing from our community members still behind bars.

Mourning the Loss of Giants

We mourned the loss of key giants in our community. Amidst this loss, we will forever celebrate their lives and legacies:

Linda White: Linda was one of the first members of our National Family Network (NFN) and a CFSY board member. After losing her daughter to teenage violence, Linda became one of the loudest advocates for ending life without parole for children.
Agnes Gund: Agnes and her daughter, Catherine, were visionaries in forging new partnerships among artists and advocates through Art for Justice. Her partnership with CFSY supported us on our journey to elevate directly impacted leadership.
Ronnie Waters: Ronnie was a longstanding ICAN member who served 40 years of a life sentence he received as a child. Coming home in 2020, Ronnie quickly became a leader in Michigan.

In the News

Our movement continues to make headlines as the nation grapples with the importance of fair chances for extreme sentenced children:

Washington Post Op-Ed: D.C.’s second-chance law is working. Why is Congress trying to repeal it?
The Imprint: Once Juvenile Lifers, Now Free: A Celebration of the ‘Children are Different’ High Court Ruling
Bolts Magazine: North Carolina’s Extreme Sentences for Children
WTOP: From Prison to Public Service: Former Inmate Leads Reentry Efforts

We are entering 2026 fully committed to ending the extreme sentencing of children and finding new approaches to healing and restoration. Thank you for being here. If you’re new to this space, we hope you’ll join us!

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2025 Freedom Celebration

karmah — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:40:52 +0000

The CFSY held its second Freedom Celebration in the historic city of Philadelphia on November 13, 2025. The event was filled with revolutionary joy and overflowing gratitude. For those of us who grew up in prison, it was a powerful affirmation that we deserve not only a second chance, but also a life filled with healing, hope, love, and joy.

A pinnacle moment was honoring CFSY Co-Founder Bryan Stevenson, the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Even before co-founding CFSY in 2009, he pushed many to think boldly about how we treat children, sparking a national movement to end extreme sentencing of youth. His groundbreaking arguments before the Supreme Court in the companion cases of both Graham v. Florida and Miller v. Alabama paved the way for youth sentencing reforms across the nation, leading to the release of thousands of individuals once condemned to die in prison or serve extreme sentences as children.

It was an honor of a lifetime to be able to thank him for his leadership and for representing our humanity in the courts of law and public opinion. A video tribute featuring members of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN) and the National Family Network (NFN) helped express our collective gratitude:

Over 300 guests – advocates, partners, survivors of violence, and loved ones – gathered in a city that represents both the deep pain of this issue and the incredible power of redemption. Once home to the largest population of children condemned to die in prison, Philadelphia is now home to the most life-sentenced children who are now free. We chose this site to reconcile with our difficult history, reclaim our humanity, and celebrate our right to redemption.

This Freedom Celebration was more than just an event; it is central to our work. It is at the core of our individual healing and community care strategy, and a demonstration of transformative healing and restorative justice in action. We believe that to dismantle injustice, to prevent harm, we must also build and nurture spaces for connection and joy. Celebration is not a distraction from the work; it is essential to it.

While there is still much work to be done to achieve our collective freedom, we are so glad that this gathering allowed us to embrace the revolutionary acts of pausing, breathing deeply, laughing, dancing, and celebrating.

Click here for the online photo gallery

After the celebration, we asked participants: “What did Freedom Celebration mean to you?”. We hope these reflections leave you with a renewed understanding of how meaningful and vital these spaces of shared joy, healing, and belonging are for our community.

“The Freedom Celebration reminded me of what it feels like to breathe again. It was a moment where hope, community, and gratitude all came together in one space. For me, it was more than an event—it was a reminder that no matter what we go through, there’s always room to grow, to heal, and to move forward. Being surrounded by individuals with similar lived experiences, shared purpose and positive energy helped me reset, refocus, and reconnect with what truly matters.”

“As a survivor of crime, the CFSY Freedom Celebration represents much more than just an event; it is a powerful opportunity for me to pause and breathe deeply. It allows me to reflect on my personal journey of healing—recognizing the incredible distance I’ve traveled, the obstacles I’ve overcome, and the values that still drive me forward. This celebration is a vital moment to honor not only my struggles but also those of countless others who have faced harm. It serves as a poignant reminder of the immense courage, unwavering resilience, and profound sacrifice required every single day. Together, we celebrate our strength and the hope that unites us all.”

“I used to dream […] of days [when] I could dance around freely and sing amongst people who love me. We were all dancing around, loving on each other, laughing and singing. Those memories I will hold in my heart forever.”

“Here, I can celebrate the success of others and also feel the comfort from those who understand the heaviness of incarceration’s impact on us all. I always feel uplifted, inspired, motivated and loved when I am among the CFSY family.”

“I’ve been advocating for the CFSY for 15 years. To see everyone who’s come home is truly inspiring and heartwarming.”

“It is amazing to see all of the impacted citizens together, I remember when there weren’t any – it was just a dream that we would see our loved ones in a space like this.”

“I left feeling inspired, committed to change, and grateful for community.”

“[The Freedom Celebration was] a time to connect with others like me who understand what it is like trying to navigate life after release. So many of us are out in the community working hard to catch up and help those we left behind. Nobody can understand how that affects us, like us. I didn’t WANT to attend, I NEEDED to.”

“It meant the absolute world to me. I just got out in April after doing 31 years and to see so many that were affected just like me and to see them happy and free and thriving just gave me so much hope and so much drive because I know I could be just like that.”

The gathering would not be possible without our partners. We are deeply grateful for the Tow Foundation for their significant investment in the wellness of our community and to all our sponsors who made the Freedom Celebration a reality. Thank you for being part of a community that understands that in our fight for freedom, celebrating our shared humanity is one of the most powerful things we can do.

Partner
Tow Foundation

Host
The Calamus Foundation DE
Lucy Helm
Jacinto & Elizabeth Oliver

Catalyst
Baker McKenzie

Champion
Andy Berndt
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Cleary Gottlieb
King & Spalding
Latham & Watkins
Morgan Lewis
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey

Changemaker
Eileen Farbman
Kelley Drye & Warren
Sidley Austin
Sue Simon

Advocate
The Steptoe Foundation
Covington
Autumn Hanna VandeHei & Zotheka Foundation
Center for Employment Opportunities
Creed & Gowdy
Finnegan
Riya Saha Shah
Wiley Rein

Other Amazing Sponsors
Joy Lian Alferness
Drew & Emily Bonfiglio
Melanie DeMatto
Margaret Ervin & Scott Swanay
Miriam Ervin
Mary Lou Hartman
Chris Little
Julie Mehretu
The Oliver Family
Debbie O’Donnell
Anne Patterson Finn
Ashley Pettus
Mayumi Skorski
Leslie Stevens
Bianca van Heydoorn

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New Report Shows the Power of Restorative Justice

karmah — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:04:50 +0000

Reflections by Ghani Songster, Inaugural Manager of Healing Futures & CFSY’s Transformative Healing and Restorative Justice Manager

At CFSY, we work towards a world that chooses healing over punishment. Today, we want to share a powerful story of that world in action. A new report on a restorative justice program called Healing Futures in Philadelphia shows a stunning 100% satisfaction rate from both youth and the people they harmed, in addition to a near-zero recidivism rate for the participating youth. These findings are deeply personal to me – I served as the inaugural manager of Healing Futures before joining CFSY and am overjoyed to have the opportunity to celebrate and share what the program has achieved.

Report Factsheet

“Healing Futures: A Restorative Justice Response to Philadelphia’s Youth Punishment System” is more than just data; it’s a collection of stories that explore how restorative justice doesn’t just change one life but has the ability to heal entire communities. I want to extend my deepest thanks to Hanae Victoria Mason, who authored the report, and the entire team at Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project (YASP), home of Healing Futures, who have already received well-earned attention for the publication.

In a world that often feels fractured by division and harm, the program is a model for what happens when we choose connection and healing over punishment and blame. It has profound implications for how we respond to even the most serious harm committed by children. The report urges the expansion of this model to include youth facing more serious charges, a step I believe is crucial.

My role now, as the Transformative Healing and Restorative Justice Manager at CFSY, is to build on these possibilities. We are working to connect the powerful restorative justice work being done across the country, championed by so many of you, including many formerly condemned children, with our society’s current response to youth harm.

I truly believe restorative justice diversion programs like Healing Futures offer a blueprint for a more just and compassionate future. It’s a testament to the power of seeing the humanity in every young person and giving them the chance to repair harm and build a different path forward.

I invite you to join me in celebrating this incredible achievement. Please take a moment to read the full report, scan the summary factsheet, and share these products widely with your networks, using this social media toolkit. Let’s amplify this transformative model to create spaces for genuine accountability, dialogue, and repair.

Thank you for being part of this crucial movement.

In solidarity and hope,

Ghani Songster
Transformative Healing and Restorative Justice Manager
Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY)

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Remembering Linda White

karmah — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 19:29:10 +0000

Our longtime beloved CFSY community and board member Linda White passed away on July 3rd. This weekend, many of us had the honor of attending and speaking at Linda’s “Celebration of Life” held at her family church, Plymouth United. It was a heartfelt and profound experience of remembering the incredible person she was and honoring her legacy of love, compassion, and forgiveness for the most vulnerable.

Linda was one of the first members of our National Family Network (NFN), and was deeply loved and respected by people across the CFSY community. She joined the CFSY board in 2022, bringing her compassion, wisdom, and steady presence to our leadership team. In 1986, Linda and her family endured unimaginable tragedy when her daughter Cathy was killed by two teenagers. As she processed her grief over many years, Linda began to study the roots of violence and the nature of justice through a doctoral program at Texas A&M University. Her studies led her to examine restorative justice, the meaning of accountability, and how to repair harm. After many years, Linda and Cathy’s daughter, Ami, pursued a mediated dialogue with one of the people who was responsible for their tragic loss and came to believe that true justice would be served if he – and other children who had committed serious acts of harm – had the opportunity to return home and serve their communities rather than dying behind bars. She advocated on his behalf, and he was ultimately released from prison on parole in 2009.

Finding a sense of healing in forgiveness, Linda then became active in national efforts to end extreme sentencing of children in the United States. She was one of the first survivors to speak out against life without parole for children at the national level, playing a key role in successful advocacy to ban JLWOP in Arkansas and in several other states across the country–which has led to the freedom of many former life-sentenced children. She also taught psychology as an adjunct professor, served on state-level criminal justice councils, became an expert in mediation processes, and served on the CFSY board up until her passing, building deep connections across the movement. Her scholarly writings and willingness to share her own experience with restorative justice while amplifying the experiences of other crime survivors have played a crucial role in informing advocacy across the country.

Linda’s contributions to this movement are immeasurable, and her personal connections with so many in the CFSY community will be cherished forever. We will continue to honor her memory, and her great legacy of compassion and love will continue to live on in our hearts and in the many lives she has helped set free. May she rest in peace.

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karmah — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:39:00 +0000

From my prison cell to my desk at CFSY

Reflecting on a court case that gave us hope thirteen years ago.

By Angel Alejandro

Thirteen years ago today, I sat in a cell in USP Beaumont, a federal prison. I was serving a life sentence for my involvement in a crime when I was 15, a crime for which a court had deemed me ‘incorrigible.’

But on that same day, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Miller v. Alabama that “incorrigibility is inconsistent with youth.” Reading that decision from behind bars was the first glimmer of hope I’d had in years.

That glimmer became a lifeline because of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. When I wrote to them from prison, they sent back encouragement and resources. They showed up for me – including at my resentencing hearing, pictured below, in response to one my letters.

CFSY staff at my resentencing

Today, I’m not writing to you from a cell. I’m at my desk, as the newly promoted Co-Director of Development for CFSY after five years on staff. I work alongside a team where nearly half of us are former extreme-sentenced youth, many of whom also heard the news of Miller from behind bars.

The Miller decision gave me a path home. CFSY walked it with me. Today, on the 13th anniversary of that decision, we are fighting to make its promise a reality for everyone still waiting for their second chance, among them Evan Miller. Despite being the petitioner in this groundbreaking decision that paved the way for so many to come home, he remains incarcerated.

For those who have come home like me, we’re working to provide support and community to fulfill the potential of each of us and the promise of freedom.

Letter to CFSY: “Who would have thought that two years ago, my circumstances would be so drastically different? Today is July 3rd, 2014 I am housed at the same institution, USP Beaumont, the same unit, same cell, work in the same factory, and still suffer through the sweltering summer Texas heat. The change in me is not a physical one, although I’m told it’s written all over my face. The weight of my sentence is no longer soul-crushing. After years of prayer, dead-end motions, and denials at all levels, liberty isn’t just a statute anymore. Sixteen years of wandering in darkness, there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

This is the final week of our fundraising campaign. Your gift today—whether $2, $5, $25, or $2,500—is a lifeline. It powers the work that gives extreme-sentenced children hope, helps them return home, and fulfills the promise that no child is born bad.

Invest in Hope

Thank you for being part of this work.

In solidarity,

Angel Alejandro
Co-Director of Development, CFSY

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Watch: 15 years of successes made possible by you.

karmah — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 21:14:23 +0000

Watch here: from vision to victory: 15 years of transforming youth justice.

Since our founding in 2009, the CFSY has made significant progress in the fight to end life without parole for children. 28 states now ban juvenile life without parole. Thousands of extreme-sentenced youth are free. Our reach has expanded through the ever-growing Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network and National Family Network. As Catherine Jones, CFSY’s Co-Director of Outreach & Partnership Development shares, these successes were made possible by you – our community of relentless freedom fighters and generous supporters who know that no child is born bad.

On this #GivingTuesday and throughout this giving season, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating 15 years of incredible advocacy, friendship, and FREEDOM!

We’re a movement led by directly impacted leaders and powered by a community that will not give up until all children facing extreme sentences experience justice. Share a gift to the CFSY today.

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