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Washington state’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that sentencing youth offenders to life in prison without parole is unconstitutional, joining 20 states and Washington D.C. who’ve already outlawed the practice. The justices ruled 5-4 that trial courts may not impose a minimum term of life, as that would mean a life without parole sentence, for people convicted of committing a crime when they were younger than 18 years old. The sentencing “constitutes cruel punishment,” and doesn’t achieve the...

This story was co-published with the Philadelphia Inquirer. A small, impish grin spread across Jeff Sessions’ face. It was a sun-drenched June afternoon in Scranton, a northeastern Pennsylvania town a few generations removed from its coal-mining heyday, and the U.S. attorney general was ensconced in a window-lined university hall, preaching to cops, prosecutors and police cadets about the importance of President Donald Trump’s war on illegal immigration. Outside, protesters jeered. Sanctuary...

In the recent Senate confirmation hearings for the U.S. Supreme Court, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford stood up to tell the world about her memories of the humiliating and sexually aggressive way that she said Judge Brett Kavanaugh violated her as a teenager. Her act took incredible bravery. What really struck me, however, was the demeanor of Dr. Blasey Ford herself. While she spoke with confidence when discussing her area of expertise—the psychology of trauma—at other times she spoke like a young...

When I was in state prison in Georgia in 2013, I heard about a class called “Motivation for Change.” I think it had to do with changing your mindset. I’m not actually sure, though, because I was never able to take it. On the first day, the classroom was full, and the teacher was asking everybody’s name. When my turn came, I had to write my name on a piece of paper and give it to a guy to speak it for me. The teacher wrote me a message on a piece of paper: "Are you deaf?" “Yes, I’m deaf,” I...

Alberta Community Health Centre and Change in Mind initiative

One of the first sessions of the 2018 ACEs Conference: Action to Access discussed the barriers and opportunities for increasing access in the field of education. The main question was: "How can one achieve systematic changes within the field of education?" The session was moderated by Michelle Flowers, a passionate advocate, and the principal of Kinney High in Rancho Cordova, CA, which is part of the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. It included a dynamic and diverse panel of education...

L to R: Afomeia Tesfai, Rep. Geran Tarr, Jeff Hild _____________________________________________________________________ The planned agenda for the “Learning Series: Policy Approaches to Childhood Adversity” workshop at the 2018 ACEs Conference: Action to Access went out the window when an unexpected guest— California Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, MD —was invited to open the session and join the other participants in lively exchanges about their advocacy experiences and perspectives on...

Starting in September of 2020, schoolchildren across the United Kingdom will learn from their teachers how to fend off loneliness. In January, British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed the first “minister of loneliness.” This week, her administration released an 84-page plan detailing the actions it will take to curb loneliness across the country, including measures that will be enacted in schools. Starting in primary school, students will have mandatory lessons in “relationships...

Why do children exposed to the same level of adversity in childhood have different outcomes? Why do some thrive and others become completely damaged? These were the kinds of burning questions that prompted filmmaker Roger Weisberg to produce the documentary Broken Places , which was shown in a private screening at the 2018 National ACEs Conference in San Francisco. The film delves into the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that each of the adults profiled in it endured first as children.

On September 5, 2018 people gathered from 20 different states and from across Tennessee in Johnson City in order to learn more about our growing System of Care. This system now has 35 affiliated organizations who have advanced from being trauma-aware to trauma-responsive. Among those in attendance were Tennessee's First Lady, Crissy Haslam and Delaware's First Lady, Tracy Carney. (l to r) First Lady Tracy Carney, Becky Haas, First Lady Crissy Haslam In 2014, the Substance Abuse Mental Health...

The World Bank Group’s Domestic Abuse Prevention Program kicked off Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a screening of RESILIENCE . The film was screened at their Washington DC Corporate Office to an audience of over 100 staff and affiliates. As well, RESILIENCE was screened virtually across approximately 130 World Banks offices with more than 1,400 viewers all over the world. The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: Five institutions working for sustainable solutions that...

Excerpt from article by Isobel Yeung : Cissy's note: I met the professor, Dr. Alissa Ackerman , written about in this story as part of a survivor collective group that shared how being out as survivors impacts our personal and professional lives and to support each other. It's from Alissa @James Encinas that's I've learned anything at all about what restorative justice is and isn't (to be honest, I'm still learning).