Keep the Conference Insights Alive With This Technique
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“The 2017 JDAI National Intersite conference was so inspirational!” “It was awesome to be in the company of so many reform champions,” “The conversations...
Why Immigration Policy Should Matter to Youth-Serving Systems
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Immigration policy, once thought of as almost purely a federal government issue has, in the past several years, become one of increasingly local concern. During the 2016 presidential election cycle...
Remembering Michael Brown: Policing Alone Doesn’t Create Safety in Our Communities
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Today we reflect on the memory of Mike Brown, the 18-year-old unarmed black youth fatally shot six times, twice in the head, by Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson. The 2014 shooting prompted...
I Love the Hood But I Want to Change
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When you look me in my eyes, you see the pain. Nobody understands what I’ve been through. They want to send me away from my family. Look at me, trying to survive and keep my head up.
Life Sentences, Long Sentences Imposed on Youth Need 2nd Look
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Decades of research from the fields of criminology and adolescent brain science find that the decisions made in youth — even very unwise decisions — do not...
Mentors Crucial to Curb Recidivism for Youths
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It has been said that all a child needs is one caring adult in order to become a success in life. When a child is removed from home because of parental abuse or neglect...
Change Yourself and Change the World
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All of us during our lives as children, adolescents and eventually adults need some encouragement. As the individuals we are, we tend to learn differently, have different perspectives and take risks on different levels. For those like myself, words of encouragement were really needed in my life to fulfill my true potential in the activities that I engaged in.
What’s Next for New York’s Young People Under Raise the Age?
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I’ve spent 15 years working inside New York’s justice system, representing teenagers and doing research inside juvenile facilities. When the New York State Legislature passed legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, I viewed this change not as resolution of a long-standing problem within New York’s justice system, but rather as a step toward needed reforms of our state’s juvenile justice system.
Dr. Seuss Goes to Juvenile Hall and Other Great Moments
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Esteem. Eagerness. Engagement. Elation. Kids in custody become kids for a day. “Cat in the Hat” hats, beloved Dr. Seuss stories, pride to contribute, laughter, fun and the promise of a giant cupcake to celebrate the life of Dr. Seuss transform a jail into a celebration of literacy. Spirits are high, peer cooperation is contagious and childlike delight spreads across a facility often darkened by despair and disrespect.
Berkeley Bound
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I remember the paralyzing fear I felt when I realized I was never going home to my father again. I would never have a normal childhood. But my love for reading saved my life. Reading became my way out.