Member
Current
Ican (Incarcerated Children'S Advocacy Network)
As a network of leaders who were formerly incarcerated as youth, we are living proof of the unique capacity for change that resides within every child; humbly recognizing our responsibility to humanity and serving as a source of motivation to others that it is never too late to become a positive force in the community. The Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network’s vision is to help create a fair and just society which recognizes the developmental differences between adolescents and adults and never loses sight of children's unique capacity for positive change and rehabilitation; a society which nurtures all children and provides them with an equal opportunity for positive development and success. We believe that a fair justice system would address victim and public safety concerns; hold justice-involved youth accountable in age-appropriate ways, and utilize restorative approaches that help build children’s capacity to not re-offend. Such a system would focus on trauma-informed approaches which recognize that “no child is born bad”. We believe in the principles of restorative justice and in the rights and dignity of all children—even those who’ve made poor decisions and mistakes.