Revolutionizing Probation from Punishment to Community-Led Safety, Part I

By The Gault Ctr. & Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout (YEAH Philly)

Part I of our report summarizes youth perspectives on juvenile probation based on 25 interviews with youth across the country who experienced probation firsthand and examines the historical roots of juvenile probation to inform the transformation of probation moving forward. This report highlights youth perspectives on juvenile probation, finding that young people are experiencing probation as surveillance, control, and punishment, negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing. This report also walks through the historical lineage of probation as a form of racialized social control to challenge dominant narratives that probation is a benign act of benevolence on behalf of youth. Part II of this report will be released in summer 2026, highlighting concrete steps to transform local probation practices and policies and spotlighting examples of successful practices already underway.

By Philadelphia: The Gault Ctr. & Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout (YEAH Philly), 2026. 23p.