The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is dedicated to reducing and abolishing the sentencing of any person below the age of 18 to life without the possibility of parole. We ensure that people are not declared worthless because of crimes committed in their youth.
The CFSY is guided in its work by the CFSY Advisory Committee, composed of experts in the field. There are currently fifteen state-based campaigns that work with the CFSY to fulfill its goal to require meaningful reviews of all life sentences imposed on youth. These campaigns are led by advocacy organizations, legal professionals, and family members of people serving life without parole for crimes committed in their youth.
For more information, see our “stats by state” page. Some of the CFSY supporters include:
- American Civil Liberties Union
- American Correctional Chaplains Association
- American Probation and Parole Association
- Amnesty International
- Buddhist Peace Fellowship
- Campaign for Youth Justice
- Center for Children’s Law and Policy
- Central Juvenile Defender Center
- Centro Pedro Claver, Inc.
- Children’s Action Alliance
- Children & Family Justice Center
- Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts, Inc.
- Christ & St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA
- Coalition for Juvenile Justice
- Colorado Juvenile Defender Coalition
- Council for Educators of At-Risk and Delinquent Youth
- Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators
- The Defender Association of Philadelphia
- Engaged Zen Foundation
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Faith Communities for Families and Children
- First Focus
- Friends & Families of Inmates, Omaha, Nebraska
- The General Synod of the United Church of Christ
- Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice Reform
- Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity
- Human Rights Watch
- International Community Corrections Association
- Just Detention International
- Justice Policy Institute
- Juvenile Justice Coalition of Ohio
- Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois
- Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
- Juvenile Justice Trainers Association
- Juvenile Law Center
- Mental Health America
- Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency
- Midwest Juvenile Defender Center
- Mid-Atlantic Juvenile Defender Center
- Mississippi Youth Justice Project
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
- NAMI Colorado
- National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc.
- National Association for Children of Incarcerated Parents
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- National Association of Juvenile Correctional Agencies
- National Association of School Psychologists
- National Black Police Association
- National Center for Youth Law
- National Disability Rights Network
- National Juvenile Defender Center
- National Juvenile Detention Association
- National Juvenile Justice Network
- National Partnership for Juvenile Services (NPJS)
- Office of Restorative Justice, Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- Pacific Juvenile Defender Center
- Partnership for Safety & Justice
- Penal Reform International
- Southern Juvenile Defenders Center
- Southern Poverty Law Center
- The Pendulum Foundation
- The Sentencing Project
- United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
- Voices for Children in Nebraska
- Western Juvenile Defender Center
- Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
- Youth Advocacy Programs, Inc.
- The Youth Advocacy Project, Roxbury, MA
- Youth Justice Coalition
- Youth Law Center
The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is a fiscally-sponsored project of Tides Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and the nation’s largest fiscal sponsor.
Special thanks to the U.S. Human Rights Fund, which coordinates funding for this project.
