Behind almost every headline is a story we never get to hear.⁠ Behind almost every juvenile crime is a cry for the support we’re failing to give them, from a child whose environment taught them this was the best way.⁠ Behind almost every youth prison sentence is an adult who doesn’t understand the science of child development, the impact of circumstance, or the alternative paths to true change.⁠ ⁠ We helped free Lucia from the system’s grip. But Lucia will not be the last. Community, we have to stop looking at them and start looking at ourselves.⁠ ⁠ Remember, children are a reflection of their environments. And even in a great environment, the very nature of childhood means some will still fall. How you treat them when they’re on the ground helps determine how they get back up and move forward in the world. If long-term community safety is what we truly want, we have to protect even the most misguided kids from becoming reoffending adults—and locking them up is not the way.⁠ ⁠ Help pav...