America’s Youth Justice Story: Unearthing the Past and Reimagining the Next Chapter

What can we do to ensure that the tragedies of our past don’t write the story of our future?

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The Center for Youth Justice at Georgetown University and Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. are proud to announce registration is now open for the 2026 Janet Reno Forum on September 10th! 

“America’s Youth Justice Story: Unearthing the Past and Reimagining the Next Chapter” will be an in-person, one-day conference held in the heart of Washington, DC on Georgetown University’s Capitol Hill Campus. During this 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Forum will explore the past, present, and future of America’s Youth Justice story through the lens of truth-telling and creative expression. 

Through a series of plenary sessions, including “The Forgotten Children of Youth Justice’s Past,” “American Youth Justice Narratives: Perspectives of the Media, Policy-Makers, and Communities,” and “Reimagining the Next Chapter of America’s Youth Justice Story,” we’ll meet storytellers, leaders, community-members, artists, and advocates as they each effectuate change and rewrite the next chapter of youth justice so that the past does not dictate the future.

Spotlight speakers and panelists include:

  • Michel Martin, Emmy-winning journalist and host of NPR’s Morning Edition
  • Tananarive Due, a leading voice in Black speculative fiction and award-winning author of The Reformatory 
  • Erin Kimmerle, forensic anthropologist, artist, and author of “We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys”

Outside of the panels, we’ll be opening with incredible musical artists, premiering a short documentary from a filmmaker, and celebrating and showcasing work from justice-driven and system-impacted artists.

Finally, the Shay Bilchik Award for Innovation in Youth Justice and the Janet Reno Women’s Leadership Awards will be presented, recognizing the incredible efforts of two individuals who have contributed to rewriting and reimagining a more hopeful and effective, less costly, family-centered American youth justice story.

Register Now!
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The Forum will be held in-person on Georgetown University’s new Capitol Hill Campus. The 125 E Auditorium provides a large but comfortable setting, allowing participants to be a part of the conversation. We will also be utilizing the Capitol View Convening Space on the roof of the McCourt Building!

Coffee, beverages, and refreshments will be available, and attendees are free to enjoy the beautiful Capitol Hill neighborhood for lunch and a bit of a stretch in the autumn air!

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Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. is a 50-year-old donor-supported national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems to deliver community-based services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble or in crisis in corrections, care, and treatment facilities. The nonprofit also applies principles of its family-centered, accountability-focused evidence-based model to help public safety systems reduce violence.

News and Updates About the Forum