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Non-profit

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY)

Website:

cfsy.org/
Location:

Washington, DC
Tax ID:

27-3761788
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2020):

Revenue: $2,944,737
Expenses: $2,323,606
Assets: $3,240,436
Formation:

2009
Type:

Criminal justice reform activism
President/CEO:

Xavier McElrath-Bey and Jody Kent Lavy

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Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) advocates for left-of-center reforms to criminal sentencing policy for minors. 1 It uses public education, legal advocacy, and coalition-building with similar nonprofits and companies to advance it proposed changes. 2

Background and Beliefs

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth was founded in 2009. 3 On its web page, the organization states its founding principles, including that “Racism is embedded in the very foundation of our country … including the juvenile and criminal justice systems”; that mass incarceration is the fruit of the legacy of slavery and systemic racism; and that “Racial animus and unconscious bias have led to selective enforcement and significantly harsher penalties for African Americans and other people of color accused of crimes than for whites charged with the same offenses.” 4

CFSY also states that the reason minors of color have been disproportionately sentenced in the criminal justice system is at least in part because of discriminatory policies in schools and because of a “heightened law enforcement presence.” 5

Projects and Campaigns

Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network

Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth launched the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN) in 2014 to champion lighter sentences for minors convicted for serious crimes. The project is led by individuals incarcerated as minors and as adults. It advocates for “racial equity and equity for all by changing the carceral system,” which refers to the U.S. system of policing. 6 The first local chapter of ICAN was launched in Pennsylvania, and as of 2022, has been active in more than half the states in the country and Washington, D.C. with more than 200 members. 7

Community Prosperity Initiative

According to CFSY, the Community Prosperity Initiative (CPI), is “a national social justice strategy” to integrate minors previously incarcerated into general society. 8 Its stated purpose is to “remedy the structural racism and oppression,” which CFSY believes is the reason for the size of the prison population. 9

No Child is Born Bad Campaign

The No Child is Born Bad Campaign was a policy lobbying initiative at both the state and federal level. The campaign has used legal reports, media pieces, and other materials to influence lawmakers. 10

The campaign partnered with the NYU Law Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law; the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Center on Wrongful Convictions; the Liberation Foundation; and the Tides Center project Fair and Just Prosecution. 11

Healing and Hope Celebration

In 2018, the CFSY hosted a “Healing and Hope Celebration” in Washington, D.C. to support “champions of [its] cause.” The event was sponsored by several left-of-center nonprofits, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Campaign for Youth Justice, Center for Children’s Law and Policy, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, The Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology, Justice Policy Institute, Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Juvenile Defender Center, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, NCCD, and the Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project. 12

At the event, the CFSY honored former Attorney General Eric Holder for his sentencing policies while working in the Obama administration. 13

Funding

In 2020, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth reported the organization had over $2.8 million in net assets, while over $1.8 million was spent on employee salaries, benefits, and other compensation. 14

CFSY has been the recipient of several six-figure grants from larger foundations since its founding. In 2022, the Tow Foundation reported that it gave $600,000 to CFSY that would cover 2021 to 2023. 15 In 2016, the CFSY received an undisclosed grant from the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation. 16

Between 2011 and 2016, the MacArthur Foundation gave CFSY a $200,000 and a $250,000 grant. 17

Leadership

Jody Kent Lavy has served as the co-executive director of Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth since its founding in 2009. Before starting her role, she had worked for the ACLU of Southern California and the National Prison Project of the ACLU in Washington, D.C. 18

Jody has publicly spoken to the media on behalf of the CFSY, including a March 2022 op-ed for the Washington Post in which she acknowledged the increased crime in Washington, D.C. but argued that the city should not change its more lenient sentencing policies. 19

Xavier McElrath-Bey is a co-founder of the CFSY and has served as the organization’s co-executive director. McElrath-Bey was board member at the Community Justice for Youth Institute and served as a member of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force’s working group on Community and Police Relations. 20

At age 13, McElrath-Bey was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a gang-related murder but was released after 13 years. Along with his role at the CFSY, Xavier has also worked as an ambassador for Represent Justice, and has also served as an Advisory Council Member for the MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) program. 21

References

  1. Our Mission & Strategy – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. May 27, 2020. https://cfsy.org/our-mission-strategy/
  2. “What We Do – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. Oct. 6, 2021. https://cfsy.org/what-we-do/.
  3. “Our Mission & Strategy – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. May 27, 2020, https://cfsy.org/our-mission-strategy/.
  4. “Racial Justice Belief Statement – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. May 31, 2019, https://cfsy.org/racial-justice-belief-statement/.
  5. “Racial Justice Belief Statement – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. May 31, 2019, https://cfsy.org/racial-justice-belief-statement/.
  6. “About ICAN – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. April 21, 2022, https://cfsy.org/what-we-do/ican-stories/.
  7. “Community Prosperity Initiative.” CFSY. https://cfsy.org/wp-content/uploads/CFSY-Community-Prosperity-Initiative-Description.pdf
  8. “Community Prosperity Initiative.” CFSY. https://cfsy.org/wp-content/uploads/CFSY-Community-Prosperity-Initiative-Description.pdf
  9. “Community Prosperity Initiative.” CFSY. https://cfsy.org/wp-content/uploads/CFSY-Community-Prosperity-Initiative-Description.pdf
  10. “No Child Is Born Bad – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. Sept. 9, 2021. https://cfsy.org/no-child-is-born-bad/.
  11. “No Child Is Born Bad – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. Sept. 9, 2021. https://cfsy.org/no-child-is-born-bad/.
  12. “Healing & Hope – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. March 21, 2019, https://cfsy.org/healing-hope/.
  13. Gritzmacher, Matt. “CFSY Honors Eric Holder, Lucy Lee Helm, Anita Colon, and Eric Alexander at Healing & Hope – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. Feb. 14, 2018, https://cfsy.org/cfsy-honors-eric-holder-lucy-lee-helm-anita-colon-and-eric-alexander-at-healing-hope/.
  14. Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2020.
  15. “Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY).” The Tow Foundation. July 5, 2022. https://www.towfoundation.org/grantee/campaign-for-the-fair-sentencing-of-youth-cfsy/.
  16.  “Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” Chicago Teachers Union Foundation. Aug. 17, 2016. https://www.ctuf.org/grants/grantees/campaign-for-the-fair-sentencing-of-youth/.
  17. “Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth – MacArthur Foundation.” MacArthur Foundation. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/campaign-for-the-fair-sentencing-of-youth-43364/.ation
  18. “Meet the Team – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. May 31, 2022. https://cfsy.org/meet-the-team/.
  19. Lavy, Jody Kent. “Opinion | despite Carjackings, D.C. Shouldn’t Revert to Ineffective Tough-on-Crime Policies.” Washington Post. March 10, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/11/despite-carjackings-dc-shouldnt-revert-ineffective-tough-on-crime-policies/.
  20.  “Meet the Team – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. May 31, 2022, https://cfsy.org/meet-the-team/.
  21. “Meet the Team – Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.” CFSY. May 31, 2022, https://cfsy.org/meet-the-team/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: September 1, 2011

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2020 Dec Form 990 $2,944,737 $2,323,606 $3,240,436 $368,365 N $2,844,987 $96,026 $3,724 $275,066
    2019 Dec Form 990 $3,119,452 $2,282,734 $2,298,078 $47,138 N $3,093,146 $24,495 $1,811 $134,110 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $1,665,794 $1,743,854 $1,463,040 $48,810 N $1,663,575 $3,374 $1,692 $129,920 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $1,769,234 $1,429,333 $1,551,181 $58,891 N $1,769,513 $7,000 $1,683 $126,142
    2016 Dec Form 990 $1,481,912 $1,196,415 $1,184,682 $32,293 N $1,478,118 $0 $1,370 $103,979
    2015 Dec Form 990 $934,295 $966,477 $882,272 $15,380 N $936,207 $0 $1,364 $98,785 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $1,228,007 $859,821 $932,796 $33,722 N $1,230,981 $0 $1,559 $97,416 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $486,105 $601,432 $548,457 $17,569 N $489,811 $0 $689 $89,664 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $1,231,175 $584,960 $653,300 $7,085 N $1,233,170 $0 $31 $96,652 PDF

    Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY)


    Washington, DC