Here are a few ideas for Latino and Latina youth
to take action now to eliminate the disparate treatment of Latino and
Latina youth in the justice system:
Organize youth
Organize community meetings and forums to
inform, educate, and distribute to the public informational materials on
Latino and Latina youth in the justice system.
Need help getting organized? Attend youth
organizing training
Attend training in youth organizing and
activism; recruit other youth to do the same.
Start your own youth justice campaign
Youth are leading youth justice campaigns such
as the Books Not Bars campaign (
in CA and the No More Youth Jails campaign in New York City (www.nomoreyouthjails.org)
to end discrimination against youth of color in the justice system.
Contact these campaign and share ideas on how to take action.
Reach out to your community
Create support for the Latino and Latina youth
in the system with your local churches, schools and community groups.
Speak Out
Start a “speakers team” of Latino and Latina
youth who can present factual information and personal stories of
experiences with the justice system and to speak out about the
over-incarceration of youth of color.
Plan a Direct Action
Organize "speak-outs", protests and
other direct action events for change.
Call on federal, state and local public
officials
Contact public officials through a letter
writing campaign or phone-a-thon and provide youths’ perspective on
how to end discrimination of Latino youth in the justice system.
Request meetings with public officials to call
for serious reform of the juvenile justice system to eliminate racial
and ethnic bias and discrimination.
Participate in public hearings
Go to public hearings and organize others to
attend; Request to give testimony on the impact on youth of state and
local laws and policies before legislative committees charged with
developing juvenile justice laws.
Contact the media
Call your local newspapers with letters to the
editor, opinion articles, or stories on the issue of the unfair
treatment of Latino and Latina youth in the justice system.
