Change Agents for Youth Justice Reform: Dwayne Betts

It's always great to highlight and nurture the next generation of leaders! This profile is part of a longer post written by Angella Bellota by the Campaign for Youth Justice blog. 

When pursuing change in your state, youth/adult partnerships are critical for campaign reform efforts. Youth are more than just their story and have a source of knowledge and leadership that should not be ignored. When young people are supported and treated as partners – their leadership shines through and their ability to meet the challenges of advocacy work, and their ability to message the issue in unique ways, have led to some impressive moments.

We met Dwayne soon after his release from prison.  Over the years he has been an advocate for removing youth from the adult court. He is a talented author and poet and is currently attending law school at Yale.   Dwayne was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Federal Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice, the first young person who was directly impacted by the justice system to serve on this council. In August, he was asked to speak to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and here is a recap of his remarks:

Click HERE to watch Dwayne speak to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)

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