To bring more awareness to youth justice issues in Maryland, Jews United for Justice announced it will hold a “Youth Justice Shabbat and Solidarity Week” from today, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 4.
Eighteen congregations and organizations from across the state are taking part and engaging in collective conversations about how Jewish tradition and texts can inform a youth justice approach to public safety.
One area of particular focus is a campaign to end the practice of automatically charging kids as adults, sometimes referred to as “autocharge.”
JUFJ organizes thousands of Jews and allies in support of local campaigns for social, racial and economic justice in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
“Young people’s lives are filled with vision and possibility,” said Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg of Reservoir Hill’s Beth Am Synagogue. “Children need patience and understanding to grow through mistakes and, research shows, for their brains to fully develop.
“Our children deserve their childhood,” he said. “A better future for our state demands we do better for our children.”
Among the JUFJ Youth Justice Shabbat and Solidarity Week events this week, are
• A panel discussion on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. at Beth Am, 2501 Eutaw Place, co-sponsored by 11 local Jewish organizations, including nine synagogues. The discussion will feature Secretary Vinny Schidraldi of the Department of Juvenile Services; Natasha Dartigue, Maryland Public Defender; Gordon Park, a returning citizen and parole advocate for the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network; and Willie Hamilton, member of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network. This event will be moderated by Nate Balis, director of the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Annie E. Casey Foundation
• A discussion about youth justice following Adat Shalom’s Shabbat Services on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 7727 Persimmon Tree Lane in Bethesda. Services begin at 9:30 a.m., and the discussion will take place during the oneg Shabbat (festive gathering and refreshments) after services.
• A discussion on “Juvenile Justice in Maryland: The Current Landscape” at Pikesville’s Chizuk Amuno Congregation, 8100 Stevenson Road, on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 10:30 a.m. This event will feature Alonzo Turner-Bey, a returning citizen who was incarcerated in the adult prison system at age 17 and now serves as a community development assistant in the Prince George’s County Health Department; and Michelle Kim, assistant public defender and supervising attorney in the Juvenile Division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender.
JUFJ members affirm the importance of past juvenile justice reforms such as the Child Interrogation Protection Act and the Juvenile Justice Reform Act, and oppose any efforts to weaken or roll back crucial protections for children across Maryland.
“It’s exciting that Jewish communities across Maryland are coming together through this Jewish week of action to say that keeping Maryland’s kids safe keeps all of us safe,” said Karen Caplan, co-chair of JUFJ’s Youth Justice Working Group. “When we treat kids like kids, we support their growth and development, they have better futures, and those positive outcomes make the world safer for all of us.”
For information, visit jufj.org/event/yjs-sw/#1705513241674-75560e5d-b8ee.
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