If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more. Opinions are the writer’s own and not those of Blavity's. ____ I can say with confidence that there is no clearer representation of the evils in our country — both past and present — than the cell of a young person in prison. I lived in one. I am uniquely qualified to imagine what our country could be without youth incarceration and our government has finally given me reason to do so. Recently, President Biden announced his budget , which allocates $100 million to incentivize states to fund community-based alternatives to end youth incarceration and shrink the scope of the youth justice system. This is a crucial first step in imagining that someone else in my situation won’t have to experience the horrors that I did. I was 17 years old when I was locked behind bars. I made a mistake. A mistake that happens when you’re a...
