Dear John,

Among rising concerns about widespread and dangerous gun possession by youth, a new report from The Sentencing Project shows how youth justice systems’ responses are often ineffective and excessively punitive. From Punishment to Prevention: A Better Approach to Addressing Youth Gun Possession argues the most effective strategies to reduce gun violence involve comprehensive gun violence interruption initiatives that focus on the very narrow population of youth and young adults at highest risk for gun violence. However, the Department of Justice recently eliminated $150 million in federal funding for gun interruption efforts, despite strong evidence that these initiatives have sharply reduced murders and gun crimes in many cities in recent years.

Though the share of youth who carry firearms has not changed appreciably in recent years, arrests and court cases for weapons possession have risen sharply since the pandemic began. Moreover, Black youth are increasingly likely to be the ones arrested for carrying weapons — making up half of all weapons arrests — despite the fact that Black youth are no more likely than their white peers to carry firearms.

Justice system responses to youth referred to court on weapons charges have grown increasingly punitive in recent years, with fewer youth diverted from prosecution and more youth placed in locked detention. In many jurisdictions, youth are often transferred to stand trial as adults merely for gun possession. Research shows that all of these practices are likely to worsen outcomes and increase the likelihood of future offending among the many youth carrying firearms who pose minimal risk to public safety and possess weapons mainly for self-protection.

The report offers the following recommendations to effectively address– and ultimately, reduce youth gun possession rates:

Offer diversion as an option in youth gun possession cases, rather than mandating formal prosecution for all cases, particularly for first-time offenders, and where possible, develop tailored diversion programs to work with youth facing gun possession charges.
Limit the use of detention for youth charged with gun possession and eliminate all transfers to adult court, reserving detention only for cases where youth pose a significant risk of new offenses or flight.
Expand and fund community-based violence interruption programs in neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence, ensuring sustained, localized efforts to prevent conflict before it escalates.
Invest in cutting-edge, evidence-based cognitive behavioral interventions for youth at highest risk, providing them with the tools and support needed to make safer, long-term decisions.
Implement and enforce common-sense firearm access policies that prevent young people from obtaining guns, while respecting public safety and legal standards.

Every effort should be made to keep guns out of young people’s hands, but courts are getting it wrong when it comes to gun possession. Too many jurisdictions are ignoring the root causes of youth gun possession and defaulting to aggressively prosecuting and punishing all youth who carry firearms, which makes things worse. Proven solutions exist that better support youth and improve community safety.