The implementation of Senate Bill 200, passed during the 2014 session, is underway, and the work reported so far shows great promise for the new law to truly transform the lives of children for the better. After several years of the Unified Juvenile Code Task Force meeting and the many weeks of negotiations as SB 200 moved through the legislative process earlier this year, the courts and state agencies have been working to change practices [...]

PBS’ Frontline featured Kentucky in a show, Prison State, earlier this week. The reason for the attention came from both a sore spot and a source of pride. On the one hand it came because of “Kentucky uglies” – heavy use of incarceration for adults and jailing kids for things like skipping school. On the other hand national interest was spurred by the work undertaken in Kentucky to set us on a better path in the adult system with reforms championed by Representative John Tilley [...]

March 20th UPDATE: SB 200 passed the Kentucky Senate on March 20  - two days after we posted this blog. It now moves to the Kentucky House for consideration. We are excited about the progress of this bill for Kentucky kids and families. Read our full statement about the passage of SB 200 in the Senate here.  A bill has started moving through the legislative process to reform juvenile justice in meaningful ways for kids, [...]