Youth Justice and Disability Rights

About the event

Join Disability Rights North Carolina at the Durham Main Library for a critical conversation on youth justice and disability rights. From July 2024 through August 2025, staff at Disability Rights North Carolina conducted nearly 400 in-person interviews with youth confined in each of the then 14 operating Juvenile Detention Centers in the State. They found that youth in NC's Juvenile Detention Centers receive dramatically different treatment, education services, and other rehabilitative opportunities depending on the facility in which they are detained - and most of the facilities violate state policies regarding their operations, including the use of solitary confinement in some of the facilities, including Durham County Youth Home.

The event will highlight details of the report, especially as they related to the Durham County Youth Home, and a panel of advocates will follow, sharing insights, lived experiences, and strategies for change. Come learn, connect, and be part of efforts to promote safer, more just conditions for young people.