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Your Support Matters.

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) is a national nonprofit that leads efforts to ban juvenile life without parole and other extreme sentences for children. Through partnerships with advocacy organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders, the CFSY supports survivors of youth violence, those incarcerated as children who are still serving or have been released, and their respective families and communities.

There are plenty of ways to get involved in our work!

Donate


There are multiple ways to support this cause financially. Financial support is critical to sustain our legislative advocacy efforts, provide direct support to members of our Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN), and fight against dehumanizing narratives in the media. Click here to make a contribution. Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (EIN 27-3761788) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 

Provide resources 


Now more than ever, our ICAN members and others being released from prison across the country need our support, compassion, and most importantly, resources. The most urgent needs include gift cards, new digital equipment for virtual work, free or discounted phone plans, and short-term loans. Find out more about how you can help through our Community Prosperity Initiative and contact us at [email protected].   

Support our legislative advocacy efforts


Our Legal & Policy Team is working in states around the country to abolish life without parole and other extreme sentences for children. We depend on people like you to mobilize support and bring about change at the state level. To learn more about our efforts and where you can help, contact Nikola Nable-Juris at [email protected]. 

Join an event 


We host virtual events to give our community the space to convene and connect. You can explore upcoming and past events on our events page, and to learn more, contact Christina Oliver at [email protected]. 

Increase our visibility and stay informed


We depend on our community members like you to highlight our work within your networks. You can support and amplify our work by joining our email list and following us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, BlueSky, and YouTube.   

Join our Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network


If you were incarcerated for a crime committed as a child, consider becoming a part of ICAN. ICAN is a community of individuals who have returned home after being sent to prison as children where individuals provide support and guidance to one another.  ICAN members also work to change the narratives about formerly incarcerated youth and advocate for age-appropriate sentencing for children. Contact Eddie Ellis at [email protected] or Catherine Jones at [email protected] for more information. If you are a person currently serving or formerly incarcerated, we may also be interested in sharing your story.

Join our National Family Network


Our National Family Network (NFN) is a community of friends and family members of people impacted by youth violence. This includes individuals whose loved ones are serving extreme sentences for crimes committed as children, as well as individuals who have lost loved ones to youth violence. The NFN engages in dialogue, action planning, and information sharing to advance efforts to end the practice of sentencing youth to life in prison without the possibility of parole. If you are interested in becoming a part of this community, please fill out our National Family Network Interest Form and contact Crystal Carpenter at [email protected]. If you have lost a loved one to youth violence, have an incarcerated family member, or have another personal connection to youth incarceration, we may also be interested in sharing your story.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read the FAQs below to learn more about how you can join our cause.

We are an organization that primarily works with people who were imprisoned as children and released as adults, so we do not have opportunities if you want to work directly with youth.

We recommend visiting the research library section of our website to learn more, and this page for statistics on juvenile life without parole. For those seeking information on U.S. Supreme Court cases, more information is available here. 

Attorneys can direct questions to Nikola Nable-Juris at [email protected].

Pro bono coordinators and other attorneys can contact Nikola Nable-Juris at [email protected] for more information and current pro bono opportunities.

Visit our Hire ICAN! page for information and resources to become a fair chance employer. Please contact us at [email protected] for more information. 

Now more than ever, our ICAN members and others being released from prison across the country need our support, compassion, and most importantly, resources. The most urgent needs include gift cards, new digital equipment for virtual work, free or discounted phone plans, and short-term loans. Find out more about how you can help through our Community Prosperity Initiative and contact us at [email protected]. 

If you are a former prosecutor or judge, you can support fair sentencing of youth by signing a statement opposing life-without-parole sentences for children. Email [email protected] to learn more.

The best ways to help us are through donating or providing resources to our Community Prosperity Initiative.

Spread Awareness

At the CFSY, we’re on the front lines working to ensure that children are held accountable in fair, age-appropriate ways. You can join us. Click to the right to learn how to get involved and help us make a real difference in the lives of individuals who were incarcerated as children, their families, and all people affected by injustices in the system.

Learn more about the fight to end extreme sentences for children.

Support our programs and national efforts to ensure that all children are given a second chance.

Volunteer alongside other activists and advocates working to end extreme sentencing for kids.