See Our Impact
We founded Human Rights for Kids to make a real difference. Whether it’s introducing bills or changing perspectives, our team works each day to ensure a more fair future for children. Take a look at what we’ve accomplished.
Recent Accomplishments
Since our founding we’ve worked in all 50 states and the U.S. Congress. Our work has led to the introduction of more than 100 child rights bills and the enactment of 26 new laws to protect vulnerable and marginalized children. Our staff drafts these bills, testifies before legislative committees, organizes press conferences, and issues reports detailing human rights abuses against children in the criminal justice system which has brought about significant change. Human Rights for Kids has also submitted several Amicus Briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and state supreme courts across the country, arguing against extreme sentences under the 8th Amendment and the deprivation of due process and equal protection rights under the 6th and 14th Amendments.
Fighting For Kids in Congress
HRFK advocated for the introduction of dozens of child sentencing reform bills in Congress and is spear-heading a broad bi-partisan coalition effort to ensure these bills become law! The reforms:
(1) end mandatory minimums for children
(2) end life without parole sentences for youth
(3) remove children from adult jails and prisons
(4) ban children from being placed in solitary confinement
(5) establish a minimum age of 12 before a child can be prosecuted
(6) increase the minimum age before a child can be prosecuted as an adult from 13 to 16
(7) give judges more flexibility when sentencing child sex crime victims who commit crimes against their abusers
Victory in Virginia
In 2020 HRFK successfully helped pass HB 744 and HB 746 by Virginia Delegate Vivian Watts (D – 39th District), creating new human rights protections for children in the criminal justice system.
The enactment of HB 744 made the Virginia Legislature the first in the nation to grant judges the discretion to depart from any mandatory minimum when sentencing children in adult court and requires judges to consider a child’s exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACEs) prior to sentencing. HB 746 require parents to be notified by law enforcement iftheir child is arrested and for the child to have contact with them before theycan waive their constitutional rights.
Victory in Arkansas
In 2019 HRFK developed and successfully helped pass SB 573 in Arkansas which will allow formerly incarcerated children to be discharged from lifetime post-release supervision and have their voting rights restored!
The new also requires children in Arkansas prison to be given access to the same educational and rehabilitative programming as adults.