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Meaningful youth engagement – defined as the intentional inclusion of young people that considers their strengths, interests, and developmental needs – is becoming more prominent across sectors including child welfare, education, civics, physical and mental health, and research. This level of engagement provides opportunities for systems to deliver community-specific, equitable, and accessible solutions to youth issues. Furthermore, the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, Article 12 outlines that youth have a right to be consulted on matters that impact them. Despite the growing popularity and demonstrated success of youth engagement in other sectors, the juvenile legal system (JLS), and related organizations such as reentry programs, diversion efforts, and youth justice agencies, does not appear to be keeping pace. This study seeks to answer two research questions; 1) What is the scope of youth engagement initiatives across juvenile legal systems? and 2) What is the impact of youth engagement on the JLS?
Methods
We employed a scoping review to address our research questions. We included both academic and gray literature to capture both academic research and community reports, program evaluations, descriptions of youth engagement initiatives in the field, and youth-led publications such as zines. We used the population-context-construct (PCC) strategy to narrow our search terms for relevant literature. The population is defined as youth ages 14-24, as this captured the age range for most JLS and is the United Nations definition of youth. The context is defined as JLSs in the US and globally. The construct is youth engagement, defined as engagement at a structural level to improve systems, as opposed to individual engagement of youth in their legal processes. To meet the inclusion criteria, the literature had to be in English, be set within a JLS or related context, include participants ages 14-24, and describe a youth engagement initiative.
Results
The initial search yielded 2324 works, from which 482 duplicates were removed. Preliminary results indicate that global JLS lag behind other youth-facing systems in meaningful youth engagement initiatives. Gray literature highlighted different strategies for youth engagement within the system, including youth advisory councils, youth coalitions, individual youth positions on community advisory boards, youth peer support within jails and in re-entry, and youth-led efforts to shape juvenile justice policy. More limited academic literature highlighted Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) as a mode of exploring and addressing youth priorities within juvenile justice. Initial analyses underscore that most of the published work on JLS youth engagement focuses on process, while only a fraction speaks to outcomes of such initiatives.
Conclusion
Compared to other youth-facing sectors, youth engagement in the JLS remains limited and inconsistently applied across US and global contexts. While gray literature highlights promising practices like peer support and youth advisory work, these efforts are under-theorized and require further investigation. Academic literature emphasizes YPAR as a promising model, but its impact, both short- and long-term, remains underexplored. Findings highlight the need for deeper evaluation and theory to strengthen and scale youth engagement efforts across the JLS.