In this Huffington Post blog, YAP Policy and Advocacy Director Shaena Fazal weighs in on the new report Beyond Bars:  Keeping Young People Safe at Home and Out of Youth Prisons.  The report, published by The National Collaboration for Youth, promotes a new approach for caring for justice-involved young people.  

"Many young people in the juvenile justice system are confined, sometimes in out-of-state facilities – often due to mental health needs – only because the services they need to do not exist in their home communities," Fazal argued.  "Instead, where a young person in conflict with the law has needs but no services in his or her community to meet those needs, we can and should create the services, not incarcerate our kids."

Read more about the report at these links:

- Beyond Bars:  Keeping Young People Safe at Home and Out of Youth Prisons (full report)

- Executive Summary

- Press Release