The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Youth in the New York City Juvenile Justice System
The Urban Justice Center (UJC) was founded in 1984 when a recent law school graduate opened a legal services clinic in an abandoned building in East Harlem. Today, UJC is a dynamic, 50-person cooperative comprised of five interrelated projects. One of these projects is the Lesbian and Gay Youth Project, founded in 1994, which is the only legal service program in the nation targeted to indigent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. UJC asked the Capstone team to examine the experiences of LGBT youth in the New York City juvenile justice system through literary research and interviews with government officials, lawyers, social workers, judges, community activists, mental health experts, service providers and the youth themselves. As the first study of its kind, the findings document the unique and unusually harsh experiences this population faces in the system. Based on the theory that LGBT youth should not be treated worse due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, the Capstone teams final report outlines concrete recommendations for each point in the system, from better training to increased placement options to policy formation.