Being in a new environment always carries challenges, but in the juvenile justice system those challenges are amplified. Since his admission to a youth center, Johnson* struggled greatly with anxiety. He was not only the newest member of the program, but also a different race from the rest of the young men, making him a target. Rather than give in to their demands, Johnson had been involved in a couple of altercations, none of which he knew how to handle well. The situation left him fearful to even leave his room.   What Johnson needed was not simply behavioral management or a […]

In September 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the D.C. Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act (D.C. CRIMES Act) by a vote of 240-179. One of the D.C. Crimes Act’s provisions is a redefinition of who counts as a youth offender in the nation’s capital. Right now, the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA) in D.C. extends youth offender status to individuals up to age 24, which allows judges to give out sentences with the offender’s developmental level in mind and makes it legally possible for youth offenders to clear their permanent record.  The D.C. CRIMES Act would not eliminate […]

Brett Abrams was only 14 years old when he was convicted of second-degree murder in 1984. Since 1993, he has been eligible for parole, yet he has been denied every single time, despite being a strong candidate on paper. Over his 40 years of incarceration in a North Carolina maximum-security prison, he has accrued only 11 infractions—the last in 2005, and has spent five days a week working a full-time job at a meat packaging plant. Abrams has spent the majority of his life incarcerated, a reality often described as “death by incarceration.”  Cases like Abrams’ raise a fundamental question: how […]

As Psalm 68:5-6 (ESV) reminds us, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.” The causes of adoption and care for vulnerable children sit close to the Lord’s heart.  Adoption almost always begins with loss and grief. Yet, adoption can work toward the rebuilding of a family unit as God designed, where each child flourishes in a safe and nurturing environment, where they know they belong. Each year in the United States, around […]

Three years after being released from state prison, 24-year-old Valentino Valdez, struggling to find treatment for mental health issues, was hospitalized for suicidal ideation. Cycling through detention facilities had strained his mental health, and the lack of standardized treatment exacerbated the difficulties he faced. Incarcerated youth are at increased risk of many health conditions, yet medical care for this population is highly unstandardized. Care often varies between counties and is frequently used as a last resort rather than a foundation for long-term health. This lack of consistent care subjects youth to unequal protection against illness and disease, a troubling gap in […]