As we recognize Youth Justice Action Month, I think this is an important question to ask. New analysis of federal civil-rights data shows that during the 2023–24 school year: • 2.5 million students experienced at least one out-of-school suspension. • 2.3 million experienced an in-school suspension. • Nearly 7 in 10 public schools reported increased demand for student mental health services since the pandemic. Some suspensions aren't always connected to serious safety concerns

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲? I would argue that the answer isn't the day they walk out the door. 𝐑𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧. If we want young people to successfully return to their families, schools, communities, and lives, we have to start preparing for that return much earlier. I think about reentry as: 𝐄𝐍

Same youth. Different door. The young people we see in child welfare are often the same young people we see in juvenile justice. Sometimes, it simply depends on which system gets to them first. That’s why Minnesota’s current approach caught my attention. As of August 1, Minnesota raised the minimum age of juvenile delinquency from 10 to 13. Children under 13 who are alleged to have committed a delinquent act are no longer subject to a juvenile delinquency petition. Instead,

We keep asking, “How do we stop the violence?” In recent months, we've seen too many young people killed by gun violence in our community. Understandably, there has been a lot of conversation about what needs to change like policy, funding, resources, accountability. All of those conversations have a place. But I keep coming back to one question: Are we asking young people what they need? There are young people dealing with trauma, mental health challenges, homelessness, disc

A recent story out of Florida caught my attention after law enforcement and partner agencies reported recovering 163 missing and vulnerable children through Operation Statewide Shield. The operation brought together law enforcement, child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, victim advocates, and community partners to locate and support young people. Many of the children had experienced abuse, neglect, exploitation, or other forms of vulnerability. Having worked with

As students return to school, it's a good time to think about how we respond when things go wrong. When a student engages in serious or disruptive behavior, the question often becomes: “What consequence should this student receive?” But what if we also asked: “What response will keep the school safe, hold the student accountable, and give the young person an opportunity to remain connected to school and succeed?” Suspension and expulsion have a place in school discipline. But

Sometimes we need to ZOOM out to see the whole system. When working with a justice-involved young person, it's easy to focus on the part of the system directly in front of us. A school sees a student. A mentor sees a young person they are supporting. A behavioral health provider sees a client. A probation officer sees a youth on their caseload. A community organization sees someone who needs support. All of those perspectives are important. But none of them represents the who

“What else does this youth have to do to get locked up?” I heard this question more times than I can count during my 28+ years working in juvenile justice. From parents.From school personnel.From therapists and treatment providers.And, yes, even from people working within the juvenile justice system. I also heard: “You guys aren't doing anything.”“Why can't you just put them in detention?” I used to get frustrated by these questions. But over the years, I've come to u

Girls are not just "boys with different needs." Their pathways into the juvenile justice system are often fundamentally different and our responses should reflect that. For decades, juvenile justice systems have largely been designed around boys. While girls make up a smaller percentage of justice-involved youth, their experiences, needs, and pathways into the system are often very different. Too often, girls enter the juvenile justice system because of status offenses, such