The Issue

Adolescents nationwide are facing mental health, education, public safety, and community violence challenges, while public systems struggle to address these needs given service gaps and workforce shortages.

Without coordinated, research-based solutions, many states are reverting to ineffective policies or isolated initiatives with limited impact.

This moment offers a critical opportunity for states to create multisystem policy, finance, workforce, and service strategies to better protect public safety and support youth in transitioning to safe and healthy adulthoods.

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The Collaborating for Youth and Public Safety Initiative (CYPSI)

Through CYPSI, the CSG Justice Center will partner with multiple states to develop a statewide action plan to strengthen and scale research-based services and supports for youth and their families statewide. CSG Justice Center staff will provide states with cost-free technical assistance to help state teams develop and implement their state plans with the goals of advancing public safety, reducing youth violence, and using limited resources more efficiently to improve youth outcomes.

Part of this technical assistance will include educating state leaders on a set of best-practice policy, finance, and workforce strategies for potential adoption in their state plan and helping states assess their current efforts and prioritize reforms accordingly. States will also attend a multi-day policy academy with other states and national experts to inform their efforts and advance state action plans.

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Project Credits

Writing: Josh Weber, CSG Justice Center

Editing: Leslie Griffin, CSG Justice Center

Design: Hanley Hoang, CSG Justice Center

Web Development: Yewande Ojo, CSG Justice Center

Public Affairs: Sarah Kelley, CSG Justice Center

We would like to thank the Prudential Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners for their leadership and support.