[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 5, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55459-55460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21896]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 5, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 55459]]


                Proclamation 10272 of September 30, 2021

                
National Youth Justice Action Month, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                I have often said that America's young people are the 
                kite strings that hold our national ambitions aloft--
                they carry the possibilities of our country and the 
                sacred promise of a democracy where every one of us is 
                treated equally and entitled to equal justice under the 
                law. However, far too many of our young people are 
                effectively excluded from participating in our 
                democracy, having been sidelined by unnecessary 
                encounters with the justice system. They deserve a 
                second chance.

                During National Youth Justice Action Month, I call upon 
                States and communities to join me in seeking justice 
                for our youth and modernizing our juvenile justice 
                system, a system that should allow young people to 
                build their lives and grow with freedom and dignity.

                Long-standing inequities in our society--including in 
                our juvenile and criminal justice systems--continue to 
                disproportionately burden people of color and people 
                with disabilities. Nationwide, Black youth are more 
                than four times as likely as their white peers to be 
                held in juvenile facilities, and they come into contact 
                with both the juvenile justice and the child welfare 
                systems at far higher rates. Additionally, one-third of 
                young people in juvenile justice facilities have a 
                disability, including many with emotional distress and 
                learning disabilities. To deliver equal justice and 
                equal dignity to all people, it is imperative that we 
                root out racial inequities and other forms of 
                discrimination from these systems.

                Although youth arrests are at their lowest levels in 
                decades, each arrest can create a ripple effect of 
                heightened risks and negative consequences for young 
                people. Once in the system, young people may face 
                abusive treatment and dangerous conditions, including 
                excessive use of restraint, guard-instigated fights, 
                and sexual assault. Adverse environments and lack of 
                support make it difficult for young people who enter 
                the carceral system to lead healthy, productive lives 
                upon exiting.

                To give all of our young people a chance to live up to 
                their full potential, we need to shift our approach 
                from a default stance of incarceration to one of 
                prevention--a strategy that recognizes that children's 
                developmental stages and needs are starkly different 
                from those of adults. Addressing racial disparities in 
                school discipline and supporting proven early 
                intervention efforts like afterschool and mentoring 
                programs are simple steps we can take to help all young 
                people find a sense of purpose and contribute to their 
                communities. Many States are making a greater effort to 
                keep teenagers under the jurisdiction of juvenile 
                courts, which take their developmental needs into 
                account and are better equipped to support their 
                rehabilitation than systems built for adults.

                In my Fiscal Year 2022 budget, I proposed an $800 
                million investment to more than double our current 
                funding for juvenile justice and youth reentry programs 
                that protect children and help young people get the 
                services they need to get back on their feet. This 
                includes incentives for States and communities that 
                introduce reforms to reduce youth incarceration--
                including repurposing juvenile detention facilities to 
                focus more on youth development. It also includes 
                resources to develop research-based solutions

[[Page 55460]]

                to steer kids away from detention and toward more 
                positive alternatives. Through grants provided by the 
                Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
                at the Department of Justice, we are giving young 
                people access to high-quality legal representation and 
                resources to help them better manage the consequences 
                of their contact with the system. We will ensure that 
                young people in the juvenile justice system receive the 
                counsel they are entitled to and will work to address 
                the disproportionately high enforcement directed 
                against young people of color.

                Moreover, my Administration is working to ensure that 
                all young people have the support they need to avoid 
                entering the justice system in the first place. I have 
                proposed $1 billion for a new School-Based Health 
                Professionals grant program to help double the number 
                of counselors, nurses, social workers, and other health 
                professionals in our schools. In addition, I have 
                proposed $443 million for Full-Service Community 
                Schools, which would provide comprehensive wrap-around 
                services to students and their families. Programs like 
                these help ensure that more young people grow up in 
                supportive environments and have what they need to 
                reach their full potential.

                It is the responsibility of all of us to support 
                America's youth and ensure that they are in a position 
                to thrive in every community. By shifting our focus 
                from incarceration to prevention, we can bring about a 
                brighter future for our young people and our country as 
                a whole. Together, we can fulfill the promise of an 
                America that is just and equitable for all.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2021 
                as National Youth Justice Action Month. I call upon all 
                Americans to observe this month by taking action to 
                support our youth and by participating in appropriate 
                ceremonies, activities, and programs in their 
                communities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-21896
Filed 10-4-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P