Who We Serve

Court-Involved Youth

Advocates for Children of New York (AFC)’s Juvenile Justice Project (JJP) works to secure appropriate school placements and educational services for youth who have cases pending in Family and Supreme Courts, youth who are in the care of the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) or the Department of Corrections (DOCs), and youth who are returning to New York City schools from juvenile justice facilities.

The juvenile justice facilities report that the majority of youth in their care have special education needs, but many have been denied appropriate educational services for years.  We provide individual case assistance and legal representation to help them tackle their educated-related issues to prevent further court-involvement, increase their academic achievements, and pursue broader life goals. 

We provide trainings about how to identify and remedy educational problems commonly encountered by court-involved youth in New York City schools for social service agencies, youth, parents, judges, lawyers, probation officers, and OCFS aftercare staff working with youth. 

Policy Work

We play a leadership role in numerous coalitions and task forces in New York City addressing discipline reform and educational services for court-involved youth, including the School-Justice Partnership Taskforce, chaired by the former Chief Judge of New York State, Judith Kaye.  AFC worked with Judge Kaye and the New York State Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children to launch the Task Force and continues to help coordinate the project.  The Task Force brings together key stakeholders and experts from a variety of disciplines to coordinate efforts and develop recommendations to promote school engagement and reduce the flow of New York City students entering the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

AFC also advocates for systemic reform with respect to school discipline and the role of New York Police Department personnel in schools as a co-founder and steering committee member of The Dignity in Schools Campaign-New York (DSC-NY), a coalition of students, parents, advocates and educators calling for positive, school-wide approaches to discipline that improve school climate and increase learning.  Our goal is to create safe and supportive school climates in all New York City public schools without the need for school police or metal detectors, where young people are not suspended and removed from class, and where teachers and students have training and support to prevent and resolve conflicts in positive ways.

Success Stories

• Geoff was in danger of being incarcerated; now he is attending a highly acclaimed private school. Click here to read Geoff's story.
• Click here to read additional success stories.
  
  

Guides & Resources

• BACK TO SCHOOL: A Guide for Youth Coming Back from Detention
  This guide provides youth with valid information to help when they leave a detention center.
• Students’ Rights under the “J. G.” Settlement
  This document will provide you with more information about Students’ Rights under the “J. G.” Settlement. 

Litigation Update

J.G. v. Mills - The plaintiffs in this action claimed that upon being released from a court-ordered setting, they had been denied timely re-enrollment in New York City schools. The students claimed that court-involved youth were regularly denied the opportunity to return to school or were warehoused in alternative settings where court-involved youth are segregated and do not afford them minimally adequate educational services. The complaint also contained allegations on behalf of two subclasses: court-involved youth with disabilities and class members who did not receive adequate educational services while in detention in New York City.... Read more

To learn about Students’ Rights under the “J. G." Settlement click here.