Aiden Decker
Abandoned, abused, and incarcerated, Aiden is an 18-year-old survivor preparing to rebuild his life. Holding him back are the thousands of dollars of court debts. One may wonder what’s more important: rehabilitation or restitution?
Yusef Presley
Yusef's path from foster care to prison exposes a system reliant on medication and punitive fees. He now seeks to mentor and support vulnerable youth towards a brighter future.
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Advocate
Marcía Hopkins
Marcía Hopkins, author of "Authentic Storytelling: Supporting Young People in Sharing their Truth," and was previously the Director of Youth Advocacy...
Advocate
Jessica Feierman
Jessica Feierman has worked at Juvenile Law Center since 2006. At Juvenile Law Center, she leads various projects and programs, including litigation...
System-Impacted Youth
Katlyn Christiansen
Katlyn's tumultuous journey began with a traumatic childhood marred by her parents' divorce and was compounded by abuse. As a teenager, she navigated...
System-Impacted Youth
Deshawn Leeth
Deshawn’s story is that of resilience and redemption. Facing early-life traumas and a penal system that often felt insurmountable, he has emerged as...
Family Member
Chandra Grayson
For years, Chandra Grayson and her family lived through the emotional and fiscal upheaval wrought by the court's punitive fines and fees incurred...
System-Impacted Youth
Yusef Presley
“The way my life went, it took a village,” begins Yusef Presley. Caught up in the system since the age of five, Yusef’s search for community was often...
System-Impacted Youth
Priscilla Amao
Priscilla Amao's encounter with the justice system began at the age of 13 due to her truancy. Being the eldest child of migrant farm workers...
Advocate
Nadia Mozaffar
Nadia Mozaffar, a Senior Attorney at Juvenile Law Center, focuses on advancing educational rights for children in the juvenile justice and child...
Family Member
Jessica Chavez
Jessica Chavez, a program coordinator for the Lawyer Referral Service of Monterey County, bears the weight of fees and fines that have burdened her...
System-Impacted Youth
Marcus Jarvis
Marcus Jarvis, an Outreach and Communications Associate for the Debt Free Justice Campaign and Juvenile Law Center, highlights the disproportionate...
Family Member
Lynn Ausley
In Lynn Ausley's heartbreaking journey through the juvenile justice system, we witness a mother's unwavering love and her relentless battle against a...
System-Impacted Youth
Phal Sok
Phal Sok's story highlights the impact of current criminal justice policies and the imposition of fees and fines on individuals like him. Starting at...
Family Member
Jeannette Bocanegra
Jeannette Bocanegra is a mother who intimately understands the challenges of legal system policies that impact families and communities. Having...
System-Impacted Youth
Dion Armour
Dion Amour, a 14-year-old in Wichita, Kansas, is on probation and wearing an ankle monitor. She works with a therapist four times a week and is trying...
System-Impacted Youth
Phillip Pittman
At the age of 13, Phillip Pittman and his friends were on their way to buy a flip phone when he was unexpectedly arrested, starting his involvement...
Advocate
Michael Harris
Michael Harris is an attorney and Senior Director for Justice and Equity and Legal Advocacy at the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL). He works on...
System-Impacted Youth
Sierra Jones
Sierra’s journey with the justice system began at the young age of 11. Still, at the age of 37, that trauma sits with her today. A misdemeanor as a...
System-Impacted Youth
Kahlil Straxson
Kahlil had his first encounter with the court system at the young age of 16 – unaware of the dreadful experience he was about to have within the...
Media
Ruddy Roye
Radcliffe Roye is a Cleveland-based documentary photographer specializing in editorial and environmental portraits and photojournalism. Ruddy spoke to...
Family Member
Julissa Soto
Julissa’s son wanted to save their struggling family some money at the young age of 15. He shoplifted a tube of toothpaste, and when charged, the...
Advocate
Desmond Bryant
Des the Poet is a three-time published author of poetry compilation projects titled "Adoer," "No Excuses," and his latest, "Better Days In 90 Days...
Advocate
Marquetta Atkins
Marquetta is a community educator who brings her passion for working with youth and her creative energy to the table as a facilitator. For years she...
System-Impacted Youth
Ado'Nijah Zaire Metcalf
Ado’Nijah Zaire Metcalf, 23, recalls tickets and court fee invoices arriving in the mail while his mom worked two jobs to try to pay them off and feed...
System-Impacted Youth
Kristen Powell
Kristen Powell entered the justice system for the first time when she was 13 years old after she ran away from home to escape a difficult situation...
System-Impacted Youth
Dante Bristow
Dante Bristow, 23, was raised by a single mother in Wichita, Kansas. As a child, he remembers his household would start to run out of food toward the...
System-Impacted Youth
Tyler Williams
Tyler Williams served a 6-year sentence in a Kansas juvenile justice facility for a crime he committed when he was 13 years old. After Tyler finished...
System-Impacted Youth
Nykia Gatson
Twenty-year-old Nykia Gatson first entered the Kansas juvenile justice system for stealing when she was just 10 years old. While she was imprisoned...
System-Impacted Youth
Aiden Decker
Abandoned, abused, and incarcerated; Aiden is an 18-year-old survivor who is preparing to build a family, rebuild his life, and repair a relationship...
Your Story Can Change a System
Debt Free Justice believes in the power of our combined voices to bring about transformative change throughout the nation. If these stories resonate with you or a loved one, know that you’ve found a safe space to share your truth. With your experience, and our expertise, we can build a community that’s loud enough to shake the room. And we can do so hand-in-hand.