Juvenile Justice System

Pervasive bias in their homes, schools, and communities jeopardizes the well-being of trans youth and increases their risk of contact with law enforcement and the justice system. Instead of protecting these youth from mistreatment, police, prosecutors, probation, and the courts routinely criminalize them. These dire circumstances are slowly improving. Professional awareness and understanding of gender identity have grown, in part due to emerging legal protections of transgender youth in caselaw and statute. These protections, in turn, have led to important systemic reforms, including adoption of nondiscrimination policies, staff training, and data collection and analysis.