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 Humanist Association
- American Probation and Parole Association
- Amnesty International
- Association of Women Executives in Corrections
- Boys Scouts of America
- Buddhist Peace Fellowship
- Campaign for Youth Justice
- Center for Children’s Law and Policy
- Central Juvenile Defender Center
- Centro Pedro Claver, Inc.
- Child Welfare League of America
- Children’s Action Alliance
- Children’s Defense Fund
- Children & Family Justice Center
- Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts, Inc.
- Christ & St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA
- Church of the Brethren, Global Partnerships
- 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
- Families & Allies of Virginia’s Youth
- 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
- Journey of Hope
- 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
- Mothers Against Murderers Association
- NAACP
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
- NAMI Colorado
- National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
- National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc.
- National Alliance of Faith and Justice
- 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 Association of Social Workers
- 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)
- National PTA
- Office of Restorative Justice, Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- Pacific Juvenile Defender Center
- Partnership for Safety & Justice
- Penal Reform International
- Pennsylvania Prison Society
- The Pendulum Foundation
- Prison Fellowship Ministries
- The Sentencing Project
- Southern Juvenile Defenders Center
- Southern Poverty Law Center
- UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, Took Crowell Institute for At-Risk Youth
- United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
- United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association
- Voices for America’s Children
- Voices for Children in Nebraska
- Western Juvenile Defender Center
- Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
- Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
- The Youth Advocacy Project, Roxbury, MA
- Youth Justice Coalition
- Youth Law Center
In addition, the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is a member organization of the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC), a collaborative array of youth- and family-serving, social justice, law enforcement, corrections, and faith-based organizations, working to ensure healthy families, build strong communities and improve public safety by promoting fair and effective policies, practices and programs for youth involved or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
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.
