10/05/2026
October is Youth Justice Action Month, and this story from WPLN and ProPublica deserves your attention.
Across the country, states are closing youth prisons as juvenile crime falls and research shows these facilities don't keep young people out of trouble after release. Tennessee is going the other direction, with $360 million budgeted for two new youth facilities.
At Pathways Kitchen, we see every day what works instead. Our young people earn real wages. They build real job skills, learn life skills, and are surrounded by mentorship and trauma-informed support. We meet youth wherever they are in the system, from diversion to post-release, and help them build a path forward in their own community, not behind a fence.
Young people don't need to be locked up to be held accountable. They need opportunity, support, and someone who believes in them.
Read the full story and join us this Youth Justice Action Month in asking: what if we invested in pathways instead of prisons?
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