The Child Welfare System Needs an Overhaul

I thought I would help families by working in the foster care system. Instead I found a system that was quick to separate children from their parents because they were living in poverty.

An intake call screening center for the Allegheny County Children and Youth Services office.

Your Mini Guide to Discussing Abortion Rights at the Dinner Table

Here’s a handy reference of facts when discussing abortion rights with friends and family at the dinner table.

A decorated holiday table.

The Club Q Shooting Took Trans Lives and Destabilized a Community

The shooting is a logical extension of politicians’ efforts to deny transgender people our safety, community, and families.

A waving rainbow flag reading "Rest In Power Daniel Aston" sits at the memorial created outside of Club Q.

“Keep Our Families Together”: A Law That Protects Native Families is at Risk

Two Native people share how the Indian Child Welfare Act impacted their lives as the law faces a challenge at the Supreme Court.

A woman holding a child.

Three Key Criminal Legal Reform Takeaways from the 2022 Midterms

Despite tough-on-crime rhetoric, voters drove significant progress in prison labor reform, drug policy, and prosecutorial reform.

Four people, with their faces and bodies hidden behind voting privacy shields, are casting their votes for the midterm elections on Election Day November 08, 2081 in a New York City public school.

Our Veterans Need Support, Not Incarceration

Investing in community-based treatment instead of locking people up for the psychological wounds of war would honor veterans.

Shawn Jensen (third row from bottom, ninth from left) pictured with the First Recon team in early 1968.

For People with Disabilities on Parole and Probation, Accessible Communication is Essential

Our clients were repeatedly denied sign language interpretation necessary to understand the conditions of their release. They paid the price with their freedom.

An American Sign Language interpreter interpreting at an anti-racism rally and march.

What You Need to Know about Affirmative Action at the Supreme Court

Two cases before the high court will determine whether race conscious admissions policies can be used by universities.

The Supreme Court Building

Despite Backlash, Voters and Lawmakers Continue to Choose Criminal Justice Reform

National headlines don’t tell the full story; reform continues to win across the country.

Shelby County Court