[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1131 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1131

 Expressing support for the designation of October 2018 as ``National 
                     Youth Justice Action Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 23, 2018

  Mr. Cardenas (for himself and Mr. Lewis of Minnesota) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight 
                         and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for the designation of October 2018 as ``National 
                     Youth Justice Action Month''.

Whereas the historical role of the juvenile court system is to rehabilitate and 
        treat youthful offenders while holding them accountable and maintaining 
        public safety, and is therefore better equipped to work with youth than 
        the punitive nature of the adult criminal justice system;
Whereas youth are developmentally different from adults and these differences 
        have been documented by research on the adolescent brain and 
        acknowledged by the United States and State Supreme Courts and many 
        State and Federal laws that prohibit youth under age 18 from taking on 
        major adult responsibilities such as voting, jury duty, and military 
        service;
Whereas youth who are placed under the commitment of the juvenile court system 
        are able to access age-appropriate services and education, and remain 
        closer to their families, all of which reduces the likelihood of future 
        offending;
Whereas an estimated 76,000 youth are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as 
        adults every year in the United States and most of the youth are 
        prosecuted for nonviolent offenses;
Whereas most laws allowing the prosecuting of youth as adults were enacted prior 
        to research evidence by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
        and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
        demonstrating that prosecuting youth in adult court actually decreases 
        public safety as, on average, they are 34 percent more likely to commit 
        future crimes than youth retained in the juvenile system;
Whereas youth of color and youth with disabilities and mental health issues are 
        disproportionally represented at all stages of the criminal justice 
        system;
Whereas it is harmful to public safety and to young offenders to confine youth 
        in adult jails or prisons where they are significantly more likely to be 
        physically and sexually assaulted and where they are often placed in 
        solitary confinement;
Whereas youth sentenced as adults receive an adult criminal record that deters 
        future education or employment opportunities, and the collateral 
        consequences normally applied in the adult justice system should not 
        automatically apply to youth arrested for crimes before the age of 18;
Whereas youth who receive extremely long sentences deserve an opportunity to 
        demonstrate their potential to grow and change; and
Whereas people around the country participate in Youth Justice Action Month in 
        October to increase public awareness of the issues facing youth 
        transferred to the adult criminal justice system and to provide people 
        across the country with an opportunity to develop action-oriented events 
        in their communities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) designates ``National Youth Justice Action Month''; and
            (2) recognizes and supports the goals and ideals of 
        National Youth Justice Action Month.
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