About YJCP
The Youth Justice Continuum of Care Community of Practice (YJCP) brings together youth justice agencies from around the country for learning, sharing, inspiration, and support, with the aim of improving the outcomes of youth, families, and communities impacted by the juvenile justice system. Launched in November 2025 with 13 youth justice agencies, the YJCP has now grown to include more than 20 city, county, and state-level agencies from throughout the United States.
The YJCP is a continuation and expansion of a previous community of practice facilitated by NICJR for the federal Community-Based Alternatives to Youth Incarceration initiative. The YJCP convenes participating agencies for a monthly webinar and discussion series. Meetings alternate between presentations by field experts on topics of interest such as positive youth justice and engaging families of system-involved youth and presentations from YJCP members on promising practices, program successes, and/or challenges in their jurisdictions.
NICJR also hosts YJCP members for annual in-person convenings and site visits that feature a variety of workshops and presentations from national experts and practitioners in the field as well as opportunities for networking, peer learning, and engagement. Additionally, NICJR is working with members and presenters to create and widely disseminate materials that will support the broader youth justice field, such as practice briefs, case studies, and/or fact sheets based on YJCP sessions.
