Trump’s Youth Justice Agenda Will Make Us Less Safe

Former Secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Vinny Schiraldi, wrote this op-ed, discussing President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington D.C. and the District’s intentions to repeal lower the age for trying children as adults to 12 in the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The op-ed details Vinny’s reflections and observations during his career in the youth justice space, including the known harms of trying young people as adults, the physical and sexual abuse young people face in adult facilities, and the impact of solitary confinement on the health and mental health of young people. e. Vinny reflects at the end of the op-ed: ‘The two decades preceding the pandemic gave the lie to Trump’s notion that we need to lock up more kids to be safe from crime. Youth crime and incarceration can and did decline dramatically and simultaneously. Rather than reach for bromides following shocking crimes, policymakers should follow evidence about what works to help young people get back on the right track.”