For too many years, the approach toward youth gang violence in this country has consisted largely of incarcerating too many vulnerable children and youth who are living in our most challenged communities. This deeply flawed approach has contributed to widening racial and ethnic disparities in our juvenile and criminal justice...

WASHINGTON, DC -- I was Anthony's teacher and I couldn't help him. Anthony, a 15-year-old boy who suffered from depression, was beaten up and slashed with a razor in a California juvenile detention center. He was incarcerated as a "status offender" for running away from his group home. (A status...