The HRFK National State Ratings Report examines 12 categories of law that are vital to establishing a basic legal framework to protect the human rights of kids in the criminal justice system. These categories cover four main areas, including, (1) entrance into the juvenile and criminal justice systems, (2) the treatment of children as adults, (3) conditions of confinement, and (4) release and social reintegration of child offenders. The purpose of the report is to help educate the public and public policymakers on what reforms need to take place in order to better align our laws with human rights principles, including those found in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The report also aims to inspire policy change by uplifting and celebrating the states that are doing well, while holding states that aren’t doing well accountable for their unjust laws.