Tanya Washington on Systems Change, Healing, and Ending the Youth Prison Model

From The Homeboy Way · 00:31:17

Show by The Homeboy Way

A room full of prosecutors, judges, police chiefs, community organizers, and young people sit together at the Global Homeboy Network gathering. For Tanya Washington, that room captures what systems change actually requires: people who rarely share a table discovering they want the same things for young people.In this episode, Tom Vozzo welcomes Tanya Washington, senior associate in the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, recorded at the California Endowment during the Global Homeboy Network gathering. Tanya has attended at least 10 of these gatherings and this year brought 40 people from five jurisdictions: Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C., and Georgia.Together, they explore why ending the youth prison model requires changing philosophy as much as structure, how harm is often steeped in unaddressed trauma, why evidence building must not come at the cost of turning people away, and how seeing transformation up close changes what system leaders believe is possible. From Savannah's Front Porch to Brooklyn's Project Bed-Stuy, this conversation reveals how bringing people together and keeping love in the middle turns inspiration into programs that last.Key TakeawaysHarm is often rooted in unaddressed trauma. Tanya urges prosecutors, judges, and other decision-makers to understand a young person’s journey before deciding their future, since many who cause serious harm have also experienced it. Ending the youth prison model starts with philosophy.The biggest roadblock to ending the youth prison model is a philosophy of punishment. If the goal is safer communities and young people who contribute, the response should focus on what works.Evidence matters, but not at the cost of turning people away.Fr. Greg's conviction that Homeboy would never use a random control trial because it would mean turning away half the people who come for helpBeing seen can change what systems leaders believe is possible.Tanya brings justice leaders to Homeboy to witness how kinship and transformation can change lives beyond what words alone can convey.Love belongs in the middle.Tanya told Fr. Greg that all the pieces just have to have love in the middle and he agreedIn This Episode[00:00] Introduction[00:30] Tanya Washington and the Global Homeboy Network[01:19] Tanya’s role at the Annie E. Casey Foundation[03:44] The foundation’s approach to youth justice reform[06:06] Understanding young people’s journeys[08:51] Rethinking the youth prison model[09:39] Barriers to change and community alternatives[11:55] Building evidence for programs like Homeboy[16:16] How youth justice has changed[17:49] Bringing systems and communities together[21:33] How Tanya connected with Homeboy[23:20] Kinship, transformation, and bringing leaders together[25:36] What motivates Tanya’s work[28:02] Faith and finding common ground[29:28] Hope for the next generation[30:54] ClosingNotable Quotes“Harm is often steeped in unaddressed trauma.” - Tanya [07:07]“I really think all these pieces just have to have love in the middle.” - Tanya [25:52]Resources and LinksHomeboy Industrieshttps://homeboyindustries.org/https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videosDonate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/Homeboy Media https://homeboyindustries.org/social-enterprises/homeboy-media/Thomas Vozzohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzoThe Homeboy Way: A Radical Approach to Business and Life: https://www.amazon.com/Homeboy-Way-Radical-Approach-Business/dp/082945456XCredits:Hosted by: Tom VozzoProduced by: Podify, and Alexa Rousso and Melody Carter of Homeboy Media

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