Resource: Success in Shelby County: A Roadmap to Systemic Juvenile Reform

In 2012 the Department of Justice published a comprehensive investigation into the Juvenile Court System of Shelby County in Memphis Tennessee.The investigation revealed serious problems in the area of due process protections for youth and equal protection leading to an over representation of black youth. The investigation lead to an agreement between the Department of Justice and the Juvenile Court to reform due process protections for youth. This article describes why the time is ripe for juvenile court reform, why the DOJ investigation is historic, and the progress that has been made via the agreement thus far.