International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement: Visit to the United States of America

This report details findings from the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement (The Expert Mechanism), who were appointed by the president of the Human Rights Council in 2021 with a mandate to examine the human rights of Black communities in the U.S. as they relate to police interaction and the juvenile and criminal legal systems. In its examination of the juvenile legal system, the Expert Mechanism recommended a national strategy to reduce police presence in schools, protect against adult prosecution of youth under the age of 18, and raise the age of criminal responsibility in the juvenile legal system to 15 to align the U.S. with international human rights standards. Other recommendations include passing legislation to gather and publish data on race and legal interactions with police, ensuring any use of force policy complies with international standards that prioritize de-escalation and less harmful methods of control, and reducing the use of the criminal legal system for people with mental health conditions. This report highlights a human rights approach to advancing the rights of children and provides advocates with further support to push for the elimination of transferring youth to adult court, while simultaneously raising the minimum age for juvenile legal system involvement.