[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 68435-68436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22240]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 68435]]


                Proclamation 10639 of September 29, 2023

                
National Youth Justice Action Month, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                During National Youth Justice Action Month, we 
                recognize that young people deserve second chances, and 
                we recommit to transforming the juvenile justice system 
                by creating safer and more supportive communities where 
                young people can thrive.

                Between 2000 and 2020, the youth population in juvenile 
                justice facilities declined by nearly 80 percent. But 
                those who do enter the juvenile justice system are 
                often confined in unsafe environments, live with trauma 
                and mental health conditions that go untreated, and 
                serve adult sentences. They are disproportionately 
                young people of color and young people with 
                disabilities. Without the support, resources, or 
                guidance for meaningful rehabilitation, many young 
                people who are released can fall back into old patterns 
                that lead to their return to the justice system.

                My Administration has made historic investments in 
                improving our youth justice system. We are working to 
                shift its focus from punishment to support and making 
                our Nation's promise of equal justice a reality for 
                all. My Administration is establishing and expanding 
                evidence-based diversion programs when appropriate and 
                broadening access to lawyers who will advocate for and 
                advise children who are facing juvenile and criminal 
                justice system involvement. For those leaving the 
                system, our investments and programs are helping youth 
                find housing, educational opportunities, mentorship, 
                job training, and other services to support them once 
                they return home. My new budget also calls for $760 
                million to advance juvenile justice programs with the 
                goal of making the entire system more equitable.

                I believe that to keep children out of trouble we need 
                to ensure all of them have a fair shot at building a 
                bright future with access to good schools, safe 
                communities, and equal opportunities. To this end, my 
                Administration has launched the National Partnership 
                for Student Success to bring together 250,000 people 
                across the country to serve as tutors and mentors for 
                our students. We have secured $1.3 billion in funding 
                for rural and inner-city schools to support afterschool 
                and summer learning programs for K-12 students.

                We also doubled funding for Full-Service Community 
                Schools that support students and their families 
                outside of the classroom with services like health care 
                and career counseling. And when we passed the Nation's 
                first major gun safety law in nearly three decades, we 
                included measures to further increase the number of 
                school psychologists and mental health counselors 
                available to our children, and we made it easier for 
                schools to use Medicaid to deliver health services, 
                including mental health care. My Administration also 
                launched 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 
                which can connect young people experiencing a crisis 
                with trained crisis counselors via phone, chat, and 
                text. And we have invested in mobile crisis response 
                teams, which often work with law enforcement to deliver 
                immediate mental health professional support for those 
                in crisis.

                Our young people are the kite strings that keep our 
                national ambitions aloft--the future of our Nation is 
                in their hands. During National Youth Justice Action 
                Month, we recommit to expanding opportunities for all 
                of

[[Page 68436]]

                our Nation's children and building a justice system 
                that allows our youth to thrive.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of 
                the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2023 as 
                National Youth Justice Action Month. I call upon all 
                Americans to observe this month by taking action to 
                support our youth and by participating in appropriate 
                ceremonies, activities, and programs in their 
                communities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-22240
Filed 10-3-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P