Advancing Equity in Juvenile Justice
March 9, 2026
Overview
In 2024, the Network for Public Health Law partnered with an academic expert serving as a representative on a governmental committee in a southern jurisdiction. By combining legal technical assistance, policy analysis, and subject-matter expertise, the Network directly informed policy leaders on matters of race equity, justice reform, and social determinants of health. The project demonstrates how law can serve to protect rights and build fairer systems.
In 2024, the Network for Public Health Law partnered with an academic expert serving as a representative on a governmental committee in a southern jurisdiction. The committee was convened as an intergovernmental coordinating body to advise local policymakers on racial disparities across the jurisdiction’s criminal legal systems.
The Network’s Harm Reduction Legal Project provided legal technical assistance to inform the subcommittee focused on disparities in juvenile justice. The Network provided legal and policy expertise to help navigate the complex local administrative juvenile criminal framework, explain how state law governs “diversion” and “deflection” programs, and identify potential opportunities for reform. This guidance is contributing to the subcommittee’s work with local leaders on the expansion of diversion eligibility for young people charged with drug offenses.
By combining legal technical assistance, policy analysis, and subject-matter expertise, the Network directly informed policy leaders on matters of race equity, justice reform, and social determinants of health. The project demonstrates how law can serve to protect rights and build fairer systems.