La pandemia que vivimos actualmente, ha venido a relucir varias debilidades del sistema penal en diversas partes del planeta. En materia de justicia para adolescentes, el COVID-19 remarcó varias carencias de las y los jóvenes en los centros de internamiento, por lo que hay una urgente necesidad de mejora en cuanto a condiciones dignas y […]
“Information can save lives,” was the phrase used by. the founding member and director of Documenta A.C., María Sirvent, regarding transparency by the authorities in charge of the adolescent justice system in Mexico, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. During our webinar titled : “COVID-19: Identifying the strengths of the adolescent justice system”, Sirvent […]
Many times the young people who are in the system no longer trust the procedures that are carried out with them nor have trust in the people who are involved in them. One of the reasons is that they have gone through “a thousand professionals”, but they are still being asked their name instead of […]
Adolescents do not perceive freedom in the same way that we do, which is why in the face of a pandemic like that of COVID-19, we have to see not what we think they need, but what they really see as essential, according to Margoth Montaño,Head of the Cenvicruz Legal Area (Program for adolescents with […]
It is not enough to allow minors in detention centers to go home, but rather to have the necessary tools to continue with their social reintegration process if necessary and that authorities make sure that the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic is controlled during their time of detention. This was one of the topics discussed […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is a potential humanitarian disaster in juvenile detention centers around the world. 1.4 million children are locked behind bars, often in terrible conditions (detained for months or years waiting to see a judge, abused, extorted, living overcrowded, and under unsanitary conditions). They need to be in contact with their families to not […]
It is important that we take care of the mental health of adolescents in detention centers during COVID19, as they are already isolated from society, which is why a pandemic like this can be an opportunity to integrate care measures towards young people, with the agreement of the Undersecretary of the Penitentiary System of the […]
¿WHO ARE WE? Juvenile Justice Advocates International is a Civil Association whose main interest is justice for adolescents in conflict with the law. The organization’s lines of work are aligned with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the National Law of the Comprehensive Criminal Justice System for Adolescents regarding the use of […]
*Specific communication for Mexico was released and is available in Spanish, click here for more info. Juvenile Justice Advocates International’s (JJAI) vision is that children are only detained as a last resort and for the shortest period of time possible. JJAI works towards this by collaborating and providing technical assistance to youth justice operators to […]
Gerardo Guerrero, Head Consul of the Consulate of Mexico in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Advocate for Children In Prison Award on December 6th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Juvenile Justice Advocates International (JJAI) gives out the award annually to recognize individuals who have done outstanding work to make our vision a reality – […]
The U.S. funds more police, court, prosecutor and prison development projects around the world than any other funder.
The US is not a party to key human rights treaties governing criminal justice, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the American Convention on Human Rights despite the fact that nearly every country where the U.S. promotes its practices are parties to these international instruments.
Después de años de lucha y problemas de inseguridad, decidimos en 2022 cerrar nuestro proyecto en Guerrero. Pudimos implementar nuestro instrumento de evaluación previa al juicio para garantizar que los jóvenes de bajo riesgo permanezcan en sus comunidades. Y brindamos apoyo a más de 220 jóvenes, como parte de nuestro proyecto de Movilizando Voluntarios.
Por invitación del Poder Judicial del Estado de Chiapas, realizamos un estudio para evaluar la viabilidad de implementar nuestros proyectos en la región. En 2022, nuestro equipo presentó los resultados y recomendaciones. El gobierno estatal ahora está decidiendo cómo quieren colaborar con nosotros en el futuro.
After years of struggle and security issues, we decided in 2022 to close our project in Guerrero. We were able to implement our pretrial screening instrument to ensure low-risk youth stay in their communities. And we provided support to over 220 youths, as part of our Mobilize and Empower project.
In the state of Chiapas, at the invitation of the state judiciary, we conducted a study to assess the viability of implementing our projects. In 2022, our team presented the results and recommendations. The state government is now deciding how they want to collaborate with us in the future.
Vista como líder nacional en las prácticas del sistema de justicia, la Ciudad de México tiene más adolescentes en detención que cualquier otra jurisdicción. Sin embargo, también ha desarrollado una unidad de seguimiento en libertad con numerosas alianzas con organizaciones. Nuestros proyectos fortalecerán esta área crítica.
JJI está trabajando en la Ciudad de México desde dos vertientes. En Alternativas a la Detención con un monitoreo que comenzó en 2019, pero por causas sanitarias y la pandemia por COVID, se retomó dos años después con un equipo de especialistas el cual ya está preparándose para continuar la actividad. En Movilizando voluntarios, se continúa con los esfuerzos para reunir a más adolescentes con sus familias, gracias al apoyo: “Reunificación familiar”. Así como también se han realizado entrega de enseres en los 6 centros.
A pesar de tener un número menor de adolescentes en el sistema de justicia, Durango es una jurisdicción que busca la mejora continua. Durango es el primer estado donde tanto el poder judicial como el ejecutivo han firmado convenios de colaboración para la implementación de nuestros proyectos de Alternativas a la Detención.
Chihuahua es nuestro sitio piloto y un estado considerado líder en la reforma penal en México. Nuestros proyectos comenzaron en el 2016. Desde entonces, los tiempos en detención preventiva han disminuido, los adolescentes son supervisados con mayor eficiencia en sus comunidades y se ha mejorado la calidad de vida de aquellos adolescentes que siguen privados de su libertad.
En Chihuahua trabajamos con varios proyectos, como son el monitoreo que se trabaja en conjunto con la autoridad, y con los adolescentes y sus familias trabajamos en talleres, mesas de trabajo, eventos lúdicos, acompañamiento post penal, reubicaciones y traslados de familiares para audiencias y visitas, así como donaciones de enseres, ropa y material deportivo.
A national leader in criminal procedural reforms, our pilot project in Chihuahua started in 2016. Since that time the rates and duration of pretrial detention have declined, youth are being successfully supervised in their communities and new programs in the detention center have improved daily life for those children still deprived of liberty.
Looked to as the national leader in youth justice practices, Mexico City has more youth in detention than any other jurisdiction but has also developed a robust probation office and numerous alliances with nonprofits. Our projects will further fortify this critical work.
Despite being a smaller jurisdiction, Durango is constantly looking to improve. Durango is the first state where both the Executive Branch and Judicial Branch have signed Memorandum of Understanding to launch the Alternatives to Detention initiatives.
