Ellen Marrus, director of the Center for Children, Law and Policy at the UH Law Center, stands to the side ready to take notes as Henry Gonzales, executive director of Harris County Juvenile Probation, discusses local initiatives aimed at improving youth justice at the 2025 Zealous Advocacy Conference.
March 3, 2025 - Henry Gonzales, executive director of Harris County Juvenile Probation, discussed local initiatives aimed at improving youth justice at the 2025 Zealous Advocacy Conference.
Sponsored by the Center for Children, Law and Policy at the UH Law Center and Generation to Generation, the event brought together local, national and international experts to share insights, case studies and collaborate to improve the lives of young people caught in complex legal systems.
Gonzales spoke about the $4 million Youth Justice Community Reinvestment Fund, which invests in community-based programs to reduce youth violence, crime, and incarceration. He also discussed the transformation of the Burnett Bayland Rehabilitation Center into the Opportunity Center, which provides justice-involved children with resources and education — from GED classes to skills training.
For these innovative measures to happen, Gonzales said, it took “sitting down with juveniles and asking them what they needed, listening to the youth voice, involving the parent voice and listening to their communities, and also looking at what other communities were doing.”
He noted that gentrification and increased costs were pushing many low-income families to the suburbs and away from existing resources.
Gonzales' insights were part of a broader discussion on local and international strategies to support youth in conflict with the law. His contributions underscored the importance of community-based solutions and the need for systemic change to better serve vulnerable youth populations.
Anna Cabot, assistant dean of clinical programs and director of the UHLC Immigration Clinic, provided an overview of key immigration policies under the new administration in 2025.
Immigration and more
Anna Cabot, assistant dean of clinical programs and director of the UHLC Immigration Clinic, provided an overview of key immigration policies under President Trump’s second administration in a session titled “New Immigration Polices: What Consequences for our Youth.” Topics discussed included birthright citizenship, the Laken Riley Act, asylum seekers, redefining protected areas, new ICE practices and the private prison industry.
“All of this is reframing the conversation around immigration,” Cabot said. “We are not going to win all these fights, but the point is to make them [law enforcement] do their jobs according to proper process.”
She shared that a judicial warrant is still needed to enter a private space, such as a home, stressing that it was critical to make sure the warrant is signed by a judge and to check that it listed the correct name of the person being served. Cabot also advised that people – even those legally in the U.S. – should have copies of their paperwork – never the originals – on them in case they get mistakenly targeted and that, if possible, they should have an attorney’s number in their contact list.
A robust discussion ensued where many attendees are already seeing impacts for their clients, such as people not going to hospitals when sick and not showing up for court dates because they are afraid of ICE. Webinar participants also discussed the toll all the stress and anxiety was taking on the mental health and wellbeing of their young clients.
This year’s program also featured an international component. Anthony Charles, associate professor at Swansea University, and colleagues presented sessions on improving justice systems for children in conflict with the law in Wales – “Taking ideas from other systems to improve our own: Children in conflict with the law in Wales” and “How the Welsh improved the justice system for children in conflict with the law.”
Takeaways
Faith Shonuga, a 19-year-old senior at the University of Houston majoring in political science, attended the conference at the UH Law Center, driven by a lifelong dream.
Growing up in Nigeria and immigrating to the U.S. as a child, Shonuga saw her family navigate complex legal systems in both countries. “I plan to go to law school and become a lawyer one day so I can help people,” she said. “I am attending this conference to learn how to advocate for people and see what resources are available.”
Shonuga was joined by Mojola Okusaga, a management information systems major at UH, and Aisha Shukur, a criminal justice major at UH-Downtown. All three are members of the Youth Justice Alliance (YJA), a nonprofit supporting first-generation law students by addressing systemic barriers to legal education. YJA was founded by UHLC alumnus Armin Salek (J.D. ’16).
Shonuga left the conference with many notes and thoughts. “What stood out to me was how much I didn't know and how much I had to learn, how much other immigrants like me have to learn about how these executive orders and news events are really affecting us,” she said. “I see how much work needs to be done and how we can better use community resources.”
After a pause, she added, “We really need to lean into the idea of community, building an actual community where people help each other, and that's how we can progress as a society.”
Ellen Marrus, conference organizer, director of the CCLP and founder of Generation to Generation, left the event inspired. “It was a great exchange of ideas,” she said. “The strong desire participants showed to improve the system, even against great odds, and give children their own voice, along with college students eager to get involved and commit to providing services to youth, was very encouraging.”
