Philadelphia, PA – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, is co-hosting its first Latino community forum on juvenile justice reform in Philadelphia on May 25. Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc., an NCLR Affiliate and lead convener of the Philadelphia Latino Juvenile Justice Network (LJJN), is hosting the event in conjunction with several Latino community-based organizations in Philadelphia.

The event will highlight the growing overrepresentation of Latino youth in the juvenile justice system which has led to disparate treatment, unjust sentencing, and unnecessary transfer of youth into the adult criminal justice system. Participants will hear from community leaders, key experts, and testimonials from formerly incarcerated youth and justice system personnel.

“It is unacceptable that Latino children receive harsher treatment than White children, even when charged with the same types of offenses,” said Nicolas Torres, Executive Director of Congreso de Latinos Unidos. “Change will only occur if we hold steadfast to political accountability and advocacy on behalf of the Latino community.”

LJJN is a long-term, multistate juvenile justice reform effort based in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Washington, and Louisiana. It is a key partner of the MacArthur Foundation’s “Models for Change” initiative, which seeks to develop a comprehensive working framework for a model juvenile justice system that can be replicated in other states. The MacArthur Foundation is providing at least $7.5 million in funding to organizations in Pennsylvania through 2008 to build upon reforms already under way.

MEDIA ADVISORY

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