We are proof incarcerated young people need care, not control | Opinion
Updated Feb 08, 2021;
By Rodney Gardner and William Bentley
Today, roughly 1500 youth in Pennsylvania woke up inside carceral settings. They’ll spend their day looking at bars, bricks, and walls, wondering what life will look like; worrying about how they’ll avoid violence; knowing that they’ll have to deal with racism and harassment.
We know their fear and uncertainty, and we understand all the challenges they face inside, and then outside.
As formerly incarcerated young people, we know that adults with power are thinking about our futures, too. In October 2020, the Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Task Force, a group made up of lawmakers, judges, nonprofit leaders, and other stakeholders, heard testimony on the issue of youth incarceration in Pennsylvania.