Every time I see another headline about a kid being failed by the system, my faith in the judiciary wanes a little more.
And I know I’m not alone.
Michigan’s juvenile justice system, like so many across the country, has become a cruel punchline. But the truth is, for kids trapped in this broken system, it’s not funny at all.
Watch this. Then please do tell me this system works for the young people it claims to protect.
Go ahead; I’ll wait.
The System Isn’t Built to Save Them
Kids are supposed to be different from adults; that’s why we have separate courts, judges, and facilities for juveniles. In theory, these systems are designed for rehabilitation, not punishment.
In reality? Too many children are funneled into overcrowded, underfunded detention centers that function more like warehouses for trauma than places of healing.
When we lock up kids instead of addressing the same ignored societal root causes created by poor community leadership, such as poverty, mental health, community neglect, we’re guaranteeing that they come out worse than they went in.
We know it. The courts know it. Yet the same cycle repeats.
Michigan Is a Case Study in Failure
Michigan has been under fire for years for its mishandling of juvenile justice.
Harsh sentencing.
Racial disparities.
Way late to the game in ensuring right to representation.
It’s a patchwork of local courts and facilities with wildly different standards and no real accountability. Judges with too much discretion and too little oversight. And when reform does happen, it’s reactive, piecemeal, and watered down by political posturing.
Meanwhile, kids sit in cells that fail to keep them safe, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some don’t even make it out alive.
Prosecutors and Judges are absolutely a big part of the problem and responsible for this societal mess.
Oakland County Prosecutor and Attorney General Candidate Karen McDonald may be the worst.
She was someone who once championed the release of juvenile lifers. She then went on to prosecute children as adults, even though it’s supposed to be unconstitutional to sentence children to life sentences and she knows that.
Welcome back, intellectual dishonesty, my old friend.
…So What Now?
It’s way too easy to point fingers.
To shake your head, say, “oh wait a shame” and look away. It’s harder to demand better and keep demanding it when the headlines fade.
So if you want to do something real rather than look away, it’s time to get work.
Here’s how.
Pay attention. Court-watch. Ask what your county’s juvenile detention numbers look like. Hold inhumane prosecutors and judges responsible for subhuman behavior. Report your findings to Clutch.
No, really. Hold judges and prosecutors accountable. If you see something, then say something. Judicial elections matter and so do judicial tenure commissions that investigate misconduct.
Push for real funding. Don’t let appointed village idiots politicians brag about “saving taxpayer money” by cutting diversion programs or mental health services.
Listen to youth voices. They know exactly what’s happening in these facilities because they live it.
My Faith Is Hanging By a Thread
I’m tired of pretending this is fixable without a complete overhaul.
I’m tired of watching children get the worst version of “justice” imaginable while adults in robes pat themselves on the back for “tough” sentences.
And I’m so damn tired of people acting like any of this is normal or ok.
Juvenile justice in Michigan and America is a joke.
It’s just that nobody’s laughing except the ones who profit from kids behind bars.
Watch the video. Talk about it. Do something.
