Leveraging Collaborative Partnerships to Protect the Human Rights of Children Involved in the United States' Juvenile Justice System

Leveraging Collaborative Partnerships to Protect the Human Rights of Children Involved in the United States' Juvenile Justice System Leveraging Collaborative Partnerships to Protect the Human Rights of Children Involved in the United States' Juvenile Justice System Melissa Coretz Goemann, Mikah Owen Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, Volume 17, Number 3, Fa. [...] The core elements of a justice system that would protect children’s human rights are outlined in a series of international guidelines, laws, and treaties that establish minimum standards for treatment of children in conflict with the law. [...] Whether it is the arrest of a 6-year-old in Florida for throwing a temper tantrum in school3 or officers handcuffing and pepper spraying a 9-year-old in New York for a family disturbance call,4 news headlines and child narratives reveal the traumatic impact that arrest, prosecution, and incarceration can have on young children and their families. [...] The prefrontal cortex, sometimes referred to as the ‘control center of the brain,’ is the area of the brain responsible for a variety of executive functions, including decision making, impulse control and emotional regulation.5 pchp.press.jhu.edu © 2023 Johns Hopkins University Press 546 The developmental immaturity of the prefrontal cortex underscores that young children do not have the cognitive. [...] Juvenile justice involvement may also interrupt health development, serve as a traumatic experience for youth already at heightened risk for exposure to trauma, and subject young children to victimization and abuse.5 The United States’ failure to shield young children from involvement with the justice system represents a systemic failure to protect the basic human rights of marginalized children w.