2019 Continuums of Service Conference

Prison dehumanizes, not as a side effect but as a central function. A child who is forcibly removed from home and society and placed inside a cage receives a powerful message about herself and her place in the world.
(Nell Bernstein, Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison, p.33)

On any given day in this country, 60,000 people under the age of 18 are incarcerated in detention, jails and prisons. By locking kids away, we are taking away their identity, their freedom, and minimizing their existence.  What could it look like if we did things differently? What if we could send a different and more hopeful message to young people who are locked up? What, if anything, is the role of colleges and universities, especially public institutions, to those in local juvenile detention centers, jails and prisons? In keeping with the conference theme, this session will examine how we can reach beyond barriers, and in this case, physical barriers of steel doors and razor wire, to think more inclusively about our work.