Christina Campbell

The Project

Christina protected the education rights of youth involved in the juvenile justice system in order to reduce recidivism and promote the successful reentry of youth into their home communities.

Youth in the juvenile justice system disproportionately present with learning and mental health disabilities, and when detained, are often not afforded the educational services they need and to which they are entitled. Additionally, even when these youth receive the necessary services and have the opportunity to be academically successful in detention, that success is halted when they transition back into the community. In Los Angeles, youth continuously face difficulty with enrolling in schools as they transition back home; they are met with opposition and denied enrollment in high-achieving schools. As a result, without comprehensive legal advocacy, these transitioning youth will be unsuccessful in their reintegration and become more likely to engage in risky behavior, directly contributing to high recidivism rates.

Fellowship Highlights

During the Fellowship period, Christina:

• Engage in discussion with community service providers and schools regarding establishing a network to assist court-involved youth with enrollment in Los Angeles
• Offer representation to youth transitioning back into local public schools as well as advocacy representation for youth currently detained
• Develop informative materials and establish community partnerships through which these materials may be distributed to court-involved youth and their families
• Conduct meetings and trainings both within detention settings and in the community to educate court-involved youth and their families about their education rights