Uplifting Youth Voices- Reimagining Youth Justice YR 3

In January 2020, upon completing two years of hosting “think tanks” with over 500 youth, families and correctional officers throughout Illinois, the Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC) and the youth leaders determined that the time was right to build upon the CFJC’s decade long advocacy and begin a state-wide campaign to advance the policy goal of eliminating Illinois’ youth prison system. The youth leaders named the effort, The Final Five Campaign (TF5C or Campaign). Youth leadership is essential to The Final Five Campaign and reflects a core value that formerly incarcerated young people must co-lead and establish the Campaign’s strategy, policy agenda, infrastructure and social media presence. Youth leadership and participation in every aspect of the Campaign furthers the objective of centering youth voices and securing a seat at the policy table for the youth leaders. On August 4, 2020, the youth leaders officially launched The Final Five Campaign and hosted a virtual town hall attended by approximately 200 people shortly thereafter. On July 31st – just three days prior to the campaign launch – Governor JB Pritzker announced his 21st Century Illinois Transformation Model for the juvenile justice system in Illinois. The transformation plan promises that the new juvenile justice system will “invest significantly in community wraparound support and intervention services for justice-involved youth and increase financial support for victim services in communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence.” While the youth leaders were invited to participate in the Governor’s transformation plan workgroups, they declined the invitation in large part because building a new prison was not only included in the plan, but also was a fait accompli and antithetical to the Campaign’s policy goals. The specific goals for the Campaign are to: 1) support the existing youth cohort as they assume leadership roles in policy reform efforts, c