Call on Policymakers to Stop Prison Pipelines and Fund Community Services

Stop Criminalizing Children; Invest in Their Healing.

In communities across the nation, police are the first to respond to a mental health or social crisis. This is especially true for Black and Latinx youth, who during a time of crisis are too often met with law enforcement instead of a trained mental health professional. This practice has resulted in the criminalization of countless youth, exacerbated existing mental health symptoms, and contributed to the creation of a school-to-prison pipeline. We demand the removal of law enforcement from institutions meant to serve our youth and call for an investment in community mental health services that will allow young people to develop and heal.

Historically, law enforcement and the criminal legal system have been the primary institutions to handle mental health issues, particularly for people of color.

  • 14 million students are in schools with a police presence, but don't have a single counselor, nurse, psychologist, or social worker.
  • Both the child welfare and juvenile legal systems disproportionately institutionalize Black children, removing them from families and communities.
  • We must divert youth away from interactions with law enforcement that put them at greater risk for arrest, institutionalization, and separation from their families and communities. We call upon our policymakers today to take action.

Join us in demanding the decriminalization of our youth. Send a message directly to your Senators and Representative.
Dear Policymaker,

Black and Latinx children are overpoliced and disproportionately institutionalized, removing them from families and loved ones, and denying them a fair shot at a rich and meaningful life. I demand the removal of law enforcement from institutions meant to serve our youth and call for an investment in community mental health services. Urgent action is needed immediately to prevent children from entering the juvenile legal system and keep them healthy and safe within their communities. This includes:

1. Providing accessible community mental health services that divert youth in crisis from interactions with law enforcement.
2. Removing police from schools to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.
3. Funding community services and placements that will get children out of institutions and into family settings.

Please help children in our community and across the nation by stepping up and providing children with the resources they need to heal and reach their full potential. Stop over policing and institutionalizing our youth.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
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