Education
Grade 10

The School-To-Prison-Pipeline

The school-to-prison pipeline refers to the policies and practices that perpetuate the unjust criminalization of students, particularly those from marginalized communities. Harsh disciplinary policies, zero-tolerance approaches, and the over-policing of schools fuel this pipeline. Teachers need to step up, as they play a crucial role in creating a fair and inclusive learning environment where all […]

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Justice System
Grade 6

Mass Incarceration

About five years ago, my favorite person was taken away from me. When I was seven years old, my father went to jail. I felt like the world was over. In the beginning, it was always, “He’s at work.” I remember when my mother first informed me where he actually was. I was devastated. I […]

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Justice System
Grade 10

Rehabilitation for Criminals

Did you know that 4.9 million people are put into prison each year, and that one out of four of those people is arrested again that same year? I believe that rehabilitation is more ethical than incarceration because it helps inmates to better themselves so that they will not have the negative mindset to commit […]

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Justice System
Grade 9

The Unfairness Black and Poor People Deal With

In the first two months of 2021, 132 civilians have been shot, 16 of whom were black. In 2020, shootings among black Americans were much higher than those among any other race, standing at 35 fatal shootings. Police officers need to stop harming people because it is a direct violation of human rights. Black people […]

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Justice System
Grade 7

Police Brutality

Imagine you are me. I’m a fun, loving, energetic, and imaginative young man. I’m full of promise and possibilities. I can be the one to cure Alzheimer’s by creating a new neurological technique that removes damaged brain cells and allows them to regenerate. Now imagine that I may never get to give these gifts to […]

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Justice System
Grade 6

Police Brutality and Racism

Imagine walking into a white-owned grocery store in 1955 on a Sunday, buying candy and walking out, looking back at the owner, smiling, leaving. Have a great rest of your day with your cousin not knowing later that night you’ll be killed for “offending” a white woman. Just imagine, being killed for smiling at a […]

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Justice System
Grade 8

Sex Trafficking

“Slavery is not a horror confined to the past; it continues to exist throughout the world, even in developed countries… Across the world slaves work and sweat and build and suffer.”, Kevin Bales, author and modern abolitionist. With that being said people who are sex trafficked are enslaved. This should be a big topic, but […]

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Justice System
Grade 8

Qualified Immunity

Did you know qualified immunity shields police officers from getting sued by victims or their families? Qualified immunity should be banned in every state. It protects police officers who overuse their power. Victims of police brutality deserve justice and banning qualified immunity will ensure equity between citizens and police. Qualified immunity was introduced in 1967. […]

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Justice System
Grade 8

Police Brutality

Ladies and gentlemen, how many people have to be hurt, harmed or killed for you to understand that police brutality is out of control? For example, look at George Floyd, he did not have to be killed, but the officer took his life just because he thought he was a threat. This is important because […]

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prison
Justice System
Grade 7

Prison Reform

The Pew Center reported in 2008 that more than 1 in 100 adults are now behind bars in America, the highest rate of any country in the world. Think of the number of people in your middle school. For me, it’s 300. That would mean that 3 of those students I see every day, eating […]

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Justice System
Grade 11

Racial Bias in the Criminal Justice System

In the year 2013, I was nine years old watching the Treyvon Martin vs George Zimmerman case in my living room hoping that Zimmerman would be found guilty. I believed that Zimmerman would be found guilty because, in the innocent mind of mine, I always thought the justice system implemented laws that viewed every individual […]

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