I’ve spent 20 years helping teens avoid prison — including gang members and teens charged with murder. AMA.

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Hi Reddit this is my first post.

I’m a Senior Juvenile Justice Policy Advisor and Clinical Forensic Psychologist with 20 years of experience. I hold degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice, and I’ve worked on thousands of youth cases involving serious crimes like murder, gang violence, and drug trafficking.

I helped shape juvenile reform laws in California, including SB 260 and SB 439, and led efforts to shift focus from punishment to trauma-informed care.

My core belief is Minors should never be placed in jail or prison-like settings, regardless of the crime.

Ask me anything about youth crime, school shootings, mental illness in teens, or why incarceration doesn’t work for kids.

Comments

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  2. BlairClemens3 Avatar

    What is trauma-informed care? How is it appropriate for a budding sociopath? What about someone who has been violent without being traumatized?

    Do you think all teens can be rehabilitated?

  3. DespyHasNiceCans Avatar

    How many of these kids come from rough backgrounds or do you see a good amount of rich kids acting out?

    Do you feel that with sexual offenses the offender was also someone that suffered sexual abuse in their past?

  4. Aggressive_Chicken63 Avatar

    Are you saying if a kid shoots someone, they shouldn’t go to prison? Where would they go? At what age do you consider as kids? Under 13? Under 16 or under 18?