[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 129, 114th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9339 of September 30, 2015

National Youth Justice Awareness Month, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

All our Nation's children deserve the chance to fulfill their greatest
potential, and nothing should limit the scope of their futures. But all
too often, our juvenile and criminal justice systems weigh our young
people down so heavily that they cannot reach their piece of the
American dream. When that happens, America is deprived of immeasurable
possibility. This month, we rededicate ourselves to preventing youth
from entering the juvenile and criminal justice systems and recommit to
building a country where all our daughters and sons can grow, flourish,
and take our Nation to new and greater heights.
Involvement in the justice system--even as a minor, and even if it does
not result in a finding of guilt, delinquency, or conviction--can
significantly impede a person's ability to pursue a higher education,
obtain a loan, find employment, or secure quality housing. Many who
become involved in the juvenile justice system have experienced foster
care or grown up in environments where violence and drugs were pervasive
and opportunities were absent. Some studies have found that many youth
in juvenile justice facilities have had a mental or substance use
disorder in their young lives. These children are our Nation's future--
yet most of them were afforded no margin of error after making a
mistake.
Each year, there are more than 1 million arrests of young people under
the age of 18, and the vast majority of those arrests are for non-
violent crimes. Estimates show that half of black males, 44 percent of
Hispanic males, and nearly 40 percent of white males are arrested by age
23. Nearly 55,000 individuals under age 21 are being held in juvenile
justice facilities across the United States--a disproportionate number
of whom are young people of color, including tribal youth. The
proportion of detained and incarcerated girls and young women, often
victims of abuse, has also significantly increased over the past few
decades.
In addition to those serving time in juvenile justice facilities, on any
given day, more than 5,000 youth under age 18 are serving time in adult
prisons or local jails. Nine States prosecute all 17-year-olds as

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adults regardless of the crime committed, including two States that do
the same for 16-year-olds; and all States have transfer laws that allow
or require criminal prosecution of certain youth. This continues despite
studies showing that youth prosecuted in adult courts are more likely to
commit future crimes than similarly situated youth who are prosecuted
for the same offenses in the juvenile system.
To hold a young person in a State-operated facility can cost upwards of
$100,000 per year per individual. That money could be better spent--with
improved youth and public safety outcomes--by investing in our children
in ways that help keep them out of the juvenile and criminal justice
systems in the first place, or that prevent them from penetrating deeper
into the system. As a Nation that draws on the talents and ambitions of
all our people, we must remain focused on providing the institutional
support necessary to stop our youth from being locked into a cycle from
which they cannot recover or fully take their place as citizens.
My Administration is committed to working with States, as well as tribal
and local jurisdictions, to implement reforms that reduce recidivism and
improve youth outcomes. Last year, the Department of Justice launched
the Smart on Juvenile Justice initiative to advance system-wide reforms
that improve outcomes, eliminate disparities, and save money while
holding youth appropriately accountable. These efforts include
emphasizing prevention, promoting cost-effective and community-based
alternatives to confinement, and sustaining programs that provide job
training and substance use disorder treatment and counseling to youth in
juvenile facilities. The Departments of Education and Justice are
leading efforts to revamp school discipline policies and support
underfunded schools so that our education system serves as a pathway to
opportunity, rather than a pipeline to prison. Additionally, the
Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice
are working to build better diversion policies to screen and treat youth
for substance abuse, trauma, and unmet mental, emotional, and behavioral
needs.
Last year, I launched My Brother's Keeper--an initiative to address
persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and
ensure all young people can reach their inherent potential. As part of
this initiative, we are focused on reducing rates of violence while
improving outcomes for all our youth. I also launched the Generation
Indigenous initiative, which seeks to improve the lives of Native youth
through new investments and increased engagement so they can achieve
their highest aspirations.
America is a Nation of second chances, and justice means giving every
young person a fair shot--regardless of what they look like or what zip
code they were born into. The system we created to safeguard this
fundamental ideal must do exactly that. During National Youth Justice
Month, let us recommit to ensuring our justice system acts not as a
means for perpetuating a cycle of hopelessness, but as a framework for
uplifting our young people with a sense of purpose so they can
contribute to America's success.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 2015 as
National Youth Justice Awareness Month. I call upon all

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Americans to observe this month by getting involved in community efforts
to support our youth, and by participating in appropriate ceremonies,
activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA