Welcome to the conversation!


Welcome to the conversation!

Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1811-1896) best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), made her the most famous American woman of the 19th century and galvanized the abolition movement before the Civil War.

The Stowe Center is a 21st-century museum and program center using Stowe's story to inspire social justice and positive change.

The Salons at Stowe programs are a forum to connect the challenging issues (race, gender and class) that impelled Stowe to write and act with the contemporary face of those same issues. The Salon format is based on a robust level of audience participation, with the explicit goal of promoting civic engagement. Recent topics included: Teaching Acceptance; Is Prison the New Slavery; Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North; Creativity and Change; Race, Gender and Politics Today; How to be an Advocate

This blog will expand the reach of these community conversations to the online audience. Add your posts and comments to keep the conversation going! Commit to action by clicking HERE to stay up to date on Salon and social justice news.

For updates on Stowe Center programs and events, sign up for our enews at http://harrietbeecherstowe.org/email.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

New #juvenilejustice legislation introduced in Congress

On June 25th, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker introduced legislation directed at improving juvenile justice programs around the country. The bill, entitled “Better Options for Kids Act,” incentivizes states to replace ineffective and overly-harsh juvenile court punishments, with bipartisan, evidence-based solutions that improve youth outcomes, strengthen public safety, and save money.

The bill incentivizes states that specifically follow these evidence-supported solutions:
• Limiting court referrals for non-criminal offenses
• Establishing clear guidelines regarding the role of school resource officers
• Providing training for school districts on non-exclusionary discipline
• Adopting a reentry policy for youth leaving correctional facilities

Along this same theme, 2014 Student Stow Prize winner Madeline Sachs wrote about juvenile justice in her piece “Juvenile Life Without Parole.”

Issues of justice for youth are not particularly focused upon- making this legislation rare and impactful. Why do you think that juvenile justice is overlooked in the context of larger conversations about crime and crime reduction? Do you think this legislation will pass? Will it make a difference?
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