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Making Kids Count in the Louisville Mayoral Race

Kentucky Youth Advocates is committed to making the needs of children front and center each and every election season. While kids cannot vote, each of us can ensure that their voices are heard by engaging with candidates in local, state, and federal elections. Across the Commonwealth this November, Kentuckians will cast their ballot in the races for the full Kentucky House of Representatives and half of the Kentucky Senate, mayoral and other local government [...]

By |2022-11-03T16:52:31-04:00November 3rd, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Youth Justice|
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Call to Action: Let’s Fund Justice!

What’s new at the federal level for justice related policies?  Recently Matt Cartwright, representative of Pennsylvania, presented a bill that would direct federal funding to areas of commerce, justice, science, and related agencies. In other words, this bill will help provide essential resources to advanced criminal justice. House Resolution 8256 has been read twice and referred to the Appropriations Committee but unfortunately, no further progress has been made. Sometime soon, we hope to see this [...]

By |2022-09-20T19:57:52-04:00September 20th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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What do Kentucky’s young people want from their Governor?

Kentuckians will decide who they want for Governor in November of 2023 – whether that’s a second term for the current Governor Andy Beshear or his Republican opponent who will be chosen next May. While Kentucky kids cannot vote, they have a major stake in who gets chosen and what the Governor’s priorities will be. As we look ahead to the 2023 Governor’s race, we want to hear from young people directly about their hopes [...]

By |2022-09-26T11:18:13-04:00September 13th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Making Kids Count in the 2022 Election

Kids cannot vote, but you can ensure that their voices are heard by engaging with candidates in local, state, and federal elections. The local, state, and federal leaders we elect determine policy that will impact our daily lives for what may be generations to come. But how often do we pause to consider–specifically–how our choices at the ballot box will impact us, and particularly young children who depend on us to make the right [...]

By |2022-11-04T10:24:21-04:00September 8th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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The Power Lies with the Community

As a few Kentucky Youth Advocates staff gathered for a convening in Chattanooga, TN, we were incredibly animated by the work those across the U.S. are doing and have been doing to make the justice system more just. Organizations from 19 states gathered to share ideas, stories, and work already being done to end mass incarceration.  Since 1983, Kentucky has seen a 287% increase in the amount of individuals locked up. We’ve been seeing incarceration [...]

By |2022-08-25T12:34:19-04:00August 25th, 2022|Blog, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Save the Date: Children’s Advocacy Week 2023

For over 15 years advocates for kids gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol to fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids. The critical mass of advocates in the Capitol building led to many policy wins and raising awareness of issues facing kids and their families.   More recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we've transitioned to Children's Advocacy WEEK with a [...]

By |2022-08-24T13:45:57-04:00August 24th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Ending the Mental Health-to-Incarceration Pipeline

Should children with mental health issues be incarcerated, or should they be given proper access to mental health treatment? In Kentucky specifically, 7 out of 10 youth involved with the juvenile justice system have a mental health condition. The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) recently released a new graphic (below) covering the mental health to incarceration pipeline so let’s take a look at how mental health and incarceration go hand in hand. Currently 1 in [...]

By |2022-07-06T16:34:54-04:00July 6th, 2022|Blog, Education, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Reflections from the 2022 KY Commission on Race & Access to Opportunity

Read about the November 2021 meeting of the Commission on Race and Opportunity here.  Following the 2021 General Assembly, SB 10, co-sponsored by Senator Givens, Senator Whitney Westerfield, and Senate President Robert Stivers, became law and established the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity. The group is tasked with studying and researching issues where disparities may exist across various sectors to determine areas of improvement and to provide services and opportunities for communities of [...]

By |2022-06-30T12:08:31-04:00June 30th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Young Kids Are Learning to Regulate Their Emotions — They Should Not Be in the Juvenile Justice System

Children as young as six-years-old have been arrested in the U.S., which remains one of the only countries without a nationally mandated standard for juvenile prosecution. As of May 2022, just under half of states in the U.S. still have no minimum age for prosecuting children.  Six-year-olds are still learning how to regulate their emotions. Throwing a tantrum should not lead to the arrest of a child but should instead be a segue to introducing [...]

By |2022-06-17T00:19:10-04:00June 13th, 2022|Blog, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Next Steps in Justice Legislation in Kentucky

During the 2022 General Assembly, several bills that were on the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy priority agenda made it to the Governor’s desk, as well as a number of innovative bills that prioritize support for children and families. For example, Senator Whitney Westerfield’s SB 90 establishes a pilot program to create behavioral health treatment alternatives to incarceration and will allow criminal charges to be dismissed upon successful completion of the program. As we celebrate [...]

By |2022-04-28T09:58:33-04:00April 28th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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