Each year at our Annual Conference, CJJ recognizes and honors individuals that embody the organization’s guiding principles and serve as leaders in our field. We acknowledge the value of young pioneers, who are just beginning to make their mark, as well as dedicated leaders who have devoted decades of their careers to championing for youth. Congratulations to this year’s 2022 Annual Awards awardees!
Elizabeth “Betsy” Clarke, J.D., is the recipient for the Marion Mattingly Lifetime Achieve Award. Betsy is the founder of the Juvenile Justice Initiative (JJI), a non-profit civil advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring human rights for all children and young adults in conflict with the law. JJI has raised the age of juvenile court from 17 to 18, ended automatic adult prosecution for 15 year olds, required lawyers during interrogation for children under the age of 15, nearly ended detention of children under the age of 13 , reduced incarceration by two-thirds and closed three juvenile prisons. She is a frequent speaker and author, including Disrupting Injustice: Fifty Years Post Miranda and Gault: A Call to Action to Re-Examine the Rights of Children in Conflict with the Law, 62 S.D.L.Rev. 608 (Issue 3, 2017).