The Youth First Initiative began in 2014 as a limited campaign to close youth prisons in five states, including CT. Since then, Youth First Initiative expanded its advocacy to 14 states and created a resource-rich website with stories and videos that highlight the impact of incarceration on youth. The website also provides toolkits and action steps to help drive policy changes. This grant provides general operating support for Youth First Initiative and its mission to dismantle the youth prison model by closing youth prisons, reducing the incarceration of youth and redirecting resources to community-based alternatives to incarceration.
