Speaking as a formerly incarcerated youth, my passion is to educate others on the importance of youth voice. We know it is essential to move juvenile justice reform forward, but we need to start implementing it in every sense of the word.

About 15 years ago, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Jaclyn Cirinna had a clear vision. It’s written in her elementary school yearbook—the child saw herself in the White House. The adult Ms. Cirinna still does.

Over the past 15 months, The Sentencing Project has published a series of reports showing why it's important for America's youth justice systems to reduce incarceration and how to safely reduce the number of young people confined.