The best way to fight incarceration and recidivism is to keep people — especially students — out of carceral systems to begin with. We should not be unnecessarily policing schools and creating environments that are preparing kids for incarceration.

According to the Department of Justice, a healthy juvenile justice system “…enhances public safety, ensures that youth are held appropriately accountable to both crime victims and communities, and empowers youth to live productive, law-abiding lives.” The U.S. justice system for youth has failed to do all these things. Its high recidivism rates leave public safety more tenuous and perpetuates the expansion and inefficient funding of a failing system. Its focus on surveillance, punishment, and force rather than positive youth development and needs-based care is not “appropriate accountability.” Finally, the system as a whole, via its stunting effects on youths’ education […]

The Biden administration has issued a new regulation for foster care that is intended to ensure safe and appropriate care for LGBTQI+ children. States are supposed to comply with it by October 1, 2026.

A greatly modified regulation that applies to all Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants is now in effect. The regulation bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in the 13 HHS funding programs that include a prohibition on sex discrimination.

In contemporary contexts, Mary’s example and the Magnificat inspire believers to advocate for religious freedom not only as a personal right but as a communal and institutional good that benefits all of society.

Preventing youth substance abuse and juvenile delinquency isn’t just about warning teens and children of the dangers of alcohol and illicit substances. It’s also about offering youth opportunities to develop resilience and hope.