Podcasts explain latest trends in youth justice

Lemon­a­da Media has released three new pod­cast episodes explor­ing dif­fer­ent aspects of the juve­nile jus­tice sys­tem. These Annie E. Casey Foun­da­tion-sup­­port­ed episodes high­light the con­nec­tion between com­mu­ni­ty safe­ty and pos­i­tive youth devel­op­ment, show­ing what helps young peo­ple mature into pro­duc­tive adults.

They are ide­al for any­one inter­est­ed in under­stand­ing effec­tive ways to respond when young peo­ple make mis­takes and break the law.

Host­ed by Maya Rupert, the episodes are fea­tured in Good Things, a pod­cast series focused on prac­ti­cal solu­tions to some of the country’s most chal­leng­ing issues. It helps audi­ences move from fear to solu­tions for young peo­ple who encounter law enforcement.

Episode 1: Rethink­ing Youth Crime 

(37 min­utes)

Risky or impul­sive behav­ior, such as under­age drink­ing, exper­i­ment­ing with drugs or shoplift­ing, is often a part of ado­les­cence. These moments are typ­i­cal­ly mis­takes that peo­ple move past with­out last­ing con­se­quences. How­ev­er, for some young peo­ple, this kind of bound­ary-test­ing can lead to involve­ment with the juve­nile jus­tice sys­tem. Nate Balis, direc­tor of the Juve­nile Jus­tice Strat­e­gy Group at the Casey Foun­da­tion, talks about refram­ing how we think about youth crime, the need for effec­tive solu­tions that pro­mote com­mu­ni­ty safe­ty and how much young peo­ple need adults in their corner.

[Related Report: Expanding education and employment pathways for systems-involved young people]

Episode 2: Trans­form­ing Youth Pro­ba­tion

(34 minutes)

As a youth pro­ba­tion offi­cer, Steve Bish­op want­ed the young peo­ple he worked with to have the same sup­port and oppor­tu­ni­ties he had grow­ing up — oppor­tu­ni­ties that kept him on track while some of his peers were derailed by involve­ment with the juve­nile jus­tice sys­tem. Now, as the asso­ciate direc­tor for Pro­ba­tion and Sys­tem Trans­for­ma­tion at Casey, Bish­op works to trans­form youth pro­ba­tion around the coun­try — hold­ing young peo­ple account­able for their actions by steer­ing them toward the kinds of guid­ance and sup­port that can help them grow into respon­si­ble adults. In this con­ver­sa­tion, Bish­op talks about how to cre­ate a more just and restora­tive sys­tem that’s based on rela­tion­ships, trust and community.

[Related: Once a ‘badass Latina’ and handcuffed schoolboys, they now push for juvenile justice reform]

Episode 3: Account­abil­i­ty Through Com­mu­ni­ty and Rela­tion­ships

(36 minutes)

The juve­nile court sys­tem in Pierce Coun­ty, Wash­ing­ton — home of Taco­ma — rec­og­nizes that most youth who get in trou­ble with the law can get back on track with­out incar­cer­a­tion. More­over, they’re more like­ly to thrive in their own com­mu­ni­ties than in deten­tion. Kevin Williams, man­ag­er of Pro­ba­tion Ser­vices for Pierce Coun­ty Juve­nile Court, and the Casey Foundation’s Steve Bish­op talk about what pro­ba­tion trans­for­ma­tion looks like in action and how account­abil­i­ty through com­mu­ni­ty rela­tion­ships is essen­tial to long-term com­mu­ni­ty safety.

[Related: Learn about the ben­e­fits of oppor­tu­ni­ty-based probation]

[Related Report: National report highlights severe cost of inadequate juvenile justice system]

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Maya Rupert is a Washington, D.C.- based political strategist, writer, advocate, and host to several podcast series. She frequently writes about race, gender, culture, and politics, and has written for numerous publications including The New York Times,The Atlantic, Slate, Salon, The Washington Post. Rupert has a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a Doctor of Law – JD from the>University of California at Berkeley – School of Law.

Good Things from Lemonada Media is a podcast about the good people in the world who are rolling up their sleeves and working hard to make things better. Each week, they talk about this country’s most complex and confounding issues in an effort to affect systemic change.

This story was originally published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. AECF provided grant support for this series of podcasts. ©2025 The Annie E. Casey Foun­da­tion.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF^®) is devoted to developing a brighter future for millions of children and young people with respect to their educational, economic, social and health outcomes.