Actions to take
Sign our petition
Please sign our petition asking the DA to stop trying youth as adults—and share it widely with your friends and on social media.
Join a JJDPC meeting
TheJuvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission meets on the last Tuesday of every month from 5:15 – 7:15 pm. You can join a meeting and offer comment in person or by Zoom.
The College of San Mateo
1700 W. Hillsdale Boulevard, San Mateo
College Heights Conference Room
Building 10, 4th Floor, Room 468
Campus map
For Zoom meeting details, visit the JJDPC Meetings page here and scroll down to the meeting date. When the agenda is posted (second column), it will have the Zoom link near the bottom.
How to support youths being transferred to adult court
This comprehensive guide describes the procedures involved in transferring a youth from juvenile to adult court, and how you can support youth going through that process.
Join our mailing list
Stay informed about our work and developments in San Mateo County’s Juvenile Justice system.
Background
See our running list of research on why it is important not to try children as adults.
Read: Human rights group urges resentencing of tens of thousands who, convicted in their teens, have spent decades behind bars (Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, May 2023)
Youth whose cases are adjudicated in the juvenile justice system are less likely to reoffend than those charged as adults.
Adult detention is dangerous for youth, exposing them to significantly greater risks of suicide, physical assault, and sexual assault.
The adult criminal legal system does not offer the interventions and rehabilitation for young people that juvenile courts are designed to provide.
Youth of color are disproportionately tried as adults, despite research showing no disparities in adolescent development across racial or ethnic groups.
Resolution supporters
The following organizations and coalitions have signed on to support the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission resolution asking the San Mateo County District Attorney to stop trying youth as adults:
- ACLU-North Peninsula ChapterÂ
- Anamatangi Polynesian Voices
- Belmont Neighbors Against Racism
- East Palo Alto City Council
- Human Rights Watch
- Knights Hennessy at Stanford
- Millbrae Anti-Racist Coalition
- NAACP San Mateo County branch
- New Hope Community Church, EPA
- Peninsula Solidarity Cohort
- REACH Coalition
- Re-Evolution
- San Bruno School District
- San Francisco Peninsula People Power (SFPPP)
- San Mateo County Dems (SMCDCC)
- San Mateo County Democracy for America (SMCDFA)
- San Mateo County Youth Commission
- Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)
- Silicon Valley De-Bug
- Smart Justice California
- Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Redwood City (UUFRC) Social Action Committee
Get in touch
If you’d like to join us in advocating for youth in San Mateo County, please contact us. We need your support.
Email Becca Kieler at becca.iocsmc@gmail.com
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