Mission & Core Principles

Mission

The Children’s Justice Alliance seeks to improve outcomes for children whose parents are involved in the criminal justice system through the creation and support of programs serving the child, the parent, and the child’s caregiver.  CJA coordinates efforts with program partners to ensure these children and their families receive the comprehensive services needed for successful lives.

Core Principles

Principle #1:  We believe that as a community we have a collective responsibility to prioritize, protect, and parent children at each stage of their parent’s involvement in the criminal justice system.

Principle #2:  We are committed to creative approaches to child care, improving parenting skills, and building family support systems for children, caregivers and families who are separated by incarceration.

Principle #3:  We believe that the primary responsibility for the development and well-being of children lies within the family and all segments of society must support families as they rear their children.

Principle #4:  We believe that children and families exist as part of an interconnected system and when parents do better, their children do better.

Principle #5:  We are committed to serving the needs of the child, justice-involved parent, and the child’s caregiver in the community.  We are committed to working together as a community to identify and modify agency policies and procedures and to create a systemic and coordinated response in meeting those needs.

Principle #6:  We are committed to assisting parents who are involved in the criminal justice system improve their parenting skills.

Principle #7:  We are committed to keeping the children safe in the justice-involved parent’s absence.

Principle #8:  We believe that children should be considered and informed when decisions are being made about their parent.

Principle #9:  We believe that children should have a direct and/or representative voice when decisions are being made about them.

Principle #10:  We believe that when appropriate and possible, children should be able to speak with, see and touch their parent, absent any risk to themselves.