(NAME-MCE) Children’s Justice Alliance

[Anselmo Villanueva]

Children’s Justice Alliance
7800 SW Barbur Boulevard, Suite II
Portland, OR 97219

info at childrensjusticealliance.org
503.977.6399
http://www.childrensjusticealliance.org/

The Children’s Justice Alliance was formed in 2004 by Claudia Black, Ben
DeHaan, Sharon Darcy, and Mark Eddy to take a programmatic and systemic
approach to improving outcomes for children whose parents are involved in
the criminal justice system.

The primary impetus for creating the Children’s Justice Alliance was to give
parents and families the tools they need to break the preventable cycle of
intergenerational criminality.

The Children's Justice Alliance (CJA) is a non-profit organization that
seeks to improve outcomes for children whose parents are involved in the
criminal justice system. CJA accomplishes this mission through the following
initiatives.
Our Initiatives Supporting stable, healthy families Through the Centers for
Family Success and other partnerships statewide, the Children’s Justice
Alliance and its programs provide a continuum of comprehensive services to
children of those who are involved in the criminal justice system, their
parents, and their families. Creating systems change Through its policy and
research efforts, public information campaigns and community trainings, the
Children’s Justice Alliance promotes systems change and an awareness of its
goals and mission. Providing research leadership Recognizing the importance
of evidence-based and evidence-informed programs, the Children’s Justice
Alliance, in cooperation with partners such as the Oregon Social Learning
Center and Portland State University, actively assesses program results to
ensure that services meet clients’ needs and produce reliable
outcomes. Building
sustainability through entrepreneurship The Children’s Justice Alliance
promotes organizational self-sufficiency through the development of business
ventures. Core Principles

CJA’s Core Principles are built upon the foundation established by the Children
of Incarcerated Parents Bill of
Rights<http://www.fcnetwork.org/Bill%20of%20Rights/billofrights.pdf>.
We and other agencies have adopted these Core Principles as the foundation
of the work we do.
Principle #1 – We believe that children are the priority and that we as a
community have a collective responsibility to protect and parent children at
every stage of their parent’s involvement in the criminal justice system.

Principle #2 – We will create a coordinated systemic response to serve the
needs of the children, their justice-involved parent and the caregivers.

Principle #3 – We will support justice-involved parents and keep their
children safe in their absence.

Principle #4 – As a caring community, we are dedicated to restoring or
creating a sense of family for our children and their justice-involved
parent.

Principle #5 – We believe primary responsibility for development and
well-being of children lies within their family but the entire community
must empower and support families as they raise their children.

Principle #6 – We are committed to provide parenting skills for
justice-involved parents and the caregivers and to building stable family
support systems for children, families and caregivers who are separated by
incarceration.

Principle #7 – We believe that children and families exist as part of an
interconnected system and children do better as parents do better.

Principle #8 – Children should be informed when decisions are being made
about their parent and their needs should be considered.

Principle #9 – Children should have a voice when decisions are being made
about them.

Principle #10 – Children should be able to speak with, see and touch their
parent, when it is appropriate, possible and safe.