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April 13, 2026

Across the country, youth justice systems have achieved historic progress. Over the past twenty-five years, youth incarceration and system involvement have declined dramatically, reflecting a growing understanding that incarceration is both harmful to young people and ineffective at improving public safety. Yet within this progress, a persistent challenge for juvenile justice agencies and other youth serving organizations remains: a very small group of young people who are both high risk and hard to reach.

These young people, often numbering only a few dozen in an entire jurisdiction, are frequently living at the intersection of profound trauma, family instability, community violence, and system disconnection. They are not only more likely to be involved in serious incidents of harm, but also less likely to be engaged by traditional services. Their needs are complex, their lives are unstable, and the systems designed to support them too often fall short. 

YCLJ affirms that how we respond to this small group of young people will define the next phase of youth justice reform. 

We reject the false narrative that the presence of HR² youth justifies a return to punitive, incarceration-driven approaches. History has shown that broad, harsh responses to a small number of cases harm many more young people than they help and do not produce lasting safety. Instead, we must deepen not abandon our commitment to community-based, developmentally appropriate, and evidence informed strategies. 

At the same time, we must acknowledge that existing approaches are not yet sufficient. Many current interventions were not designed for youth with this level of complexity, nor for the realities of unstable family environments, chronic exposure to violence, and deep mistrust of institutions. Serving HR² youth requires a higher level of intentionality, intensity, and innovation. Importantly, YCLJ believes that a focused investment in youth who are high risk and hard to reach is not only a public safety strategy, it is also a pathway toward greater racial equity. 

Young people of color are disproportionately represented among those labeled high risk and hard to reach, often as a result of systemic inequities, concentrated disadvantage, and differential access to opportunity and support. By intentionally directing resources, relationships, and effective interventions toward this small but highly impacted group, jurisdictions have an opportunity to both reduce violence and meaningfully address longstanding racial and ethnic disparities in the youth justice system. 

YCLJ calls for a focused, strategic response grounded in the following principles: 

1. Precision over broad response.

HR² youth represent a very small segment of the overall youth population. Systems must resist overgeneralization and instead focus resources and strategies specifically on those with the highest levels of need and risk.

2. Relationship-centered engagement.

Trust is the foundation of effective intervention. Credible messengers and intensive life coaching models rooted in shared experience and cultural relevance are essential to engaging youth who have been failed by traditional systems. 

3. Trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate approaches.

These young people are often both victims and actors of harm. Effective responses must address trauma, grief, and unmet mental health needs while recognizing the developmental realities of adolescence. 

4. Comprehensive, wraparound supports.

No single intervention is sufficient. Youth require coordinated supports across education, housing, family systems, behavioral health, and community connections, delivered with consistency and persistence. 

5. Safe and humane alternatives when home environments are unstable.

For the small number of youth who cannot safely remain at home, jurisdictions must develop non-carceral, therapeutic residential options that prioritize safety, dignity, and positive development without replicating the harms of traditional facilities. 

6. Accountability that promotes growth.

Accountability must be meaningful, but it must also be constructive. Responses should hold youth responsible for their actions while creating real opportunities for repair, learning, and forward progress. 

7. Continuous learning and innovation.

The field must move beyond rigid replication of existing models and invest in data-informed innovation, transparent evaluation, and partnerships with researchers, practitioners, and impacted communities. 

8. Centering youth and family voice.

Young people and their families must be partners in shaping the systems and services intended to support them. Their lived experiences are essential to designing solutions that work. 

The work ahead requires courage, discipline, and clarity. It requires resisting fear driven policy shifts while also confronting the real gaps in our current systems. Most importantly, it requires a belief that even the young people who are hardest to reach are not beyond reach.

YCLJ stands committed to advancing approaches that enhance public safety, uphold human dignity, and ensure that every young person no matter how complex their circumstances has a genuine opportunity to succeed.