Campaign for Youth Justice

Liz Ryan. Liz brings more than two decades of experience to the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ), an organization she founded that is dedicated to ending the practice of trying, sentencing and incarcerating children in the adult criminal justice system. In her capacity at CFYJ, Liz is responsible for overall strategy, management and fundraising. Liz currently serves as the co-chair of the… See full bio.

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Story: The focus of a long and bitter custody battle between his parents, Brian developed a bad attitude and found a sense of belonging through the neighborhood gang. Being sent to juvenile hall numerous times did little to reform him, and at 16 years old he participated in a gang shooting and was sentenced as an adult to 16-years-to-life. While in prison, he embraced religion and tried to turn his life around. He completed trade classes and even completed coursework toward a college degree. Regardless of his attempts at reform, the parole board’s decision to release him on parole was overturned three times by Governor Davis and once by Governor Schwarzenegger. 

Evidence of Impact Summary:

The Campaign for Youth Justice is praised by experts for its progress in bringing national attention to the issue of youth offenders being tried in adult courts
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Organization Strengths Summary:

According to experts, the Campaign for Youth Justice’s strengths include its smart and savvy staff, its connections to the media and Congress, and its efficient use of resources.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

The Campaign for Youth Justice could improve by expanding its scope to include more state and local campaigns and more advocacy efforts.
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Liz brings more than two decades of experience to the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ), an organization she founded that is dedicated to ending the practice of trying, sentencing and incarcerating children in the adult criminal justice system. In her capacity at CFYJ, Liz is responsible for overall strategy, management and fundraising. Liz currently serves as the co-chair of the Act 4 Juvenile Justice campaign, an effort launched to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). Prior to starting The Campaign for Youth Justice, Ms. Ryan served for five years as the Advocacy Director for the Youth Law Center’s Building Blocks for Youth Initiative, a project to reduce the over-incarceration and disparate treatment of children of color in the juvenile justice system. Her work at the Youth Law Center involved campaign advocacy assistance at the national, state and local levels to stop punitive juvenile justice legislation, redirect funding to communities, and increase involvement of the constituencies that were most affected by juvenile justice decision-making. Ms. Ryan previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to U.S. Senator Thomas R. Carper during his terms as Delaware’s Governor and member of the US House of Representatives. She also served as a lobbyist for the Children’s Defense Fund. Ms. Ryan is a former VISTA volunteer. Ms. Ryan holds a BA from Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) and an MA from The George Washington University (Washington, DC).

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