Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice

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About Us

The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice, led by RFK Community Alliance, provides consultation, technical assistance, and training to serve local, state, and national leaders, practitioners, and youth-serving agencies.

We partner with jurisdictions and communities across the nation to enhance system performance and improve outcomes for youth involved with the juvenile justice system, reinforced through our commitment to adolescent development science, best-practice methods and approaches, and evidence-based programs and treatment services.

Learn more About Us!

How Can We Serve Your Community?

Throughout the country and abroad, we deliver intensive Technical Assistance and On-Site Trainings through the use of seminal frameworks that transform the youth justice system, with focus on:

Probation & Juvenile Justice System Improvement
Dual Status Youth (DSY) Reform
DSY Reform, with an emphasis on Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC)
Diversion and Alternatives Reform Team (DART) Initiative
Research-Based Approaches to Reform (including adolescent development, trauma-informed care, and positive youth development)

VIDEO - Probation and Youth Justice System Improvement

Engaging in Impactful and Positive Probation and Youth Justice System Improvement – presented by the RFK National Resource Center
This new, brief video captures the methods and process through which your jurisdiction can undertake critical steps that produce significant improvements of the performance of your youth justice system. The video reflects the work that courageous youth justice leaders across the country have undertaken to produce important and necessary advances in their youth justice system using the Probation and Youth Justice System Review and also highlights the opportunity to analyze and reform probation and court staff policies and practices that ultimately produce outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Watch here!

Transformation of Youth Justice Symposium - Registration Now Open!

On June 18-20, 2025, in vibrant San Diego, California, the RFK National Resource Center will host a dynamic 2.5-day National Symposium designed for multi-disciplinary professionals and youth-serving stakeholders committed to advancing youth justice transformation.

Learn more and register now!

Meet Our Practice Network Members!

Through the formation of the Transformation of Youth Justice (TYJ) Practice Network, we are bringing together experienced and visionary practitioners from across the country who have championed reform within their local jurisdictions. Collectively, the TYJ Practice Network will share their experience and expertise to help shape the direction of practice and policy reform on a nationwide level.

Meet the TYJ Practice Network!

On-Site Trainings

Have You Scheduled an On-Site Training in Your Community?
To learn more about our training programs and how to bring our expert trainers to your jurisdiction, please click here.

Featured: Diversion and Alternatives Reform Team (DART) Training
The RFK National Resource Center is now offering training (length of training event TBD by local interests and priorities) to support state and/or local efforts to establish or enhance a comprehensive set of effective diversionary practices. We look forward to bringing this training to your community! Click here to learn more.

Listen to Our Podcast Series

Have you listened to the Youth Justice Transformation in Action Podcast? Each episode focuses on an important topic that is currently impacting youth- and family-serving systems. Catch up on our first two seasons and listen to new episodes from Season Three, including:

Bridging the Gap: Exploring Emerging Adulthood Research, Outcomes, and Effective Strategies
Growth-Focused Case Management: Achieving Desistance through Positive Identity Formation
A Blueprint for Youth Justice Reform: Lessons from Juvenile Redeploy Services