Dear Friends,

After more than six years of hard work and accomplishments on behalf of youth in Virginia’s justice systems and their families, Families & Allies of Virginia’s Youth (FAVY) is ceasing formal operations.

We wholeheartedly thank all of our members, board members, funders, allies and supporters over the years. Without you, we would not have been able to do the important advocacy work we did with and for youth in Virginia’s justice system and their families. That work included:

• Organizing dozens of families to bring their voices to the state Board of Juvenile Justice, the state General Assembly, state Crime Commission, and local juvenile justice committees;
• Holding monthly support groups for families of youth in Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center;
• Successfully advocating for changes to Department of Juvenile Justice visitation policy, so that incarcerated youth have access to more of their positive supporters;
• Joining the JustChildren program of the Legal Aid Justice Center and other allies in pushing back against expanding the practice of trying kids as adults, putting them in adult jails, and adding more kids to sex offender registries; and
• Working with other family groups across the country to collect surveys for the first national report by and about families of youth in the justice system.

A final report on FAVY’s history, accomplishments, and lessons learned will be released in 2014. We invite your comments and input for this report. Please email them to Liane (AT) favyouth.org by January 15, 2014.

Although formal operations will end, the web site will remain live for some time. FAVY co-founder Liane Rozzell welcomes contact from families in Virginia whose youth are encountering the justice system, and from anyone who is interested in continuing the work of empowering and organizing youth and families involved in the justice system in Virginia.

For those who want to donate to or become involved in work similar to Families & Allies, please consider one of the following:

The Legal Aid Justice Center, whose JustChildren program advocates to ensure that Virginia’s most vulnerable young people receive the services and support they need to lead successful lives.

Justice for Families, a national alliance of local organizations committed to ending the youth incarceration epidemic. 

The Campaign for Youth Justice, a national group dedicated to ending the practice of trying, sentencing and incarcerating youth under 18 in the adult criminal justice system.

The National Juvenile Justice Network, which supports and enhances the work of state-based groups to promote the reform of America’s critically flawed juvenile justice system at every level. 

Again, thank you for your support over the years.

Liane Rozzell, Co-founder

Liane at favyouth.org