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