Opinion: Locking kids up isn't working. Here's what we should do instead.

Nine months ago, a new federal administration arrived in D.C., bringing sweeping changes felt both locally and nationally. 

That same month, I was appointed Chair of the D.C. Council’s Committee on Youth Affairs — which oversees critical agencies like the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency, our child welfare system — and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, our juvenile detention system. 

Since then, there has been no shortage of narratives about youth and crime in our city. Amid the noise, I’ve focused on digging deep into our juvenile justice and child welfare systems to understand what’s working and what’s not. 

What I’ve learned is that even well meaning legislators can do harm when they reach for “quick fixes” to complicated problems. One such fix is locking up youth without addressing the root causes of their behavior. Some recent proposals amount to little more than locking kids up and throwing away the key. This flies in the face of definitive research on what it takes to help youth succeed: restorative justice, trauma-informed care, and access to quality education and economic opportunity. 

We see the consequences of this approach clearly in the District: the Youth Services Center (our juvenile detention center) has been over its 98-bed capacity every day since April 22. On September 10, it reached 131 incarcerated young people. That’s not just a statistic — it’s a symptom of a system in crisis. During a recent visit to DYRS, I was floored to hear a room full of young people share that each had already been through detention multiple times.

These aren’t isolated cases. They’re flashing red lights showing that detention, as currently practiced, is failing to rehabilitate. Locking kids up over and over doesn’t transform lives. It perpetuates cycles of harm. Effective leadership means resisting the urge to fall back on surface-level solutions and committing to the deeper work: healing trauma, supporting families, and investing in communities. 

That’s why this week I introduced a 16-bill policy package aimed at something different: adaptive solutions across our juvenile justice and child welfare systems to foster wellbeing for our young people. The Coordinating Assistance, Rehabilitation, and Empowerment (C.A.R.E.) for Youth Plan was developed in partnership with impacted youth and families, advocacy groups, lawyers, and agency employees. Together, we are addressing gaps in our child welfare and juvenile detention systems. 

These bills will:

• Empower parents to take a more active role during their child’s detention 
• Aim to improve school attendance with early interventions for absenteeism
• Ensure education continuity for youth in custody and as they exit detention 
• Create a new permanency pathway for foster youth 
• Increase transparency and accountability at DYRS and CFSA
• Expand access to work-based learning and career technical education
• Increase pay for participants in the District’s youth employment leadership program 
• Require the Office of the Attorney General to report on rates of recidivism
• Standardize definitions and norms around neglect and abuse, and more.

To be clear: accountability matters. Young people who cause harm must be held responsible, and sometimes detention is necessary for their wellbeing and the safety of others. And yes, parents and guardians must play a central role in guiding their children. But we must also confront the reality that our systems are broken. As lawmakers, we must take responsibility for our part in creating meaningful change. 

The vast majority of D.C. youth are doing exactly what we ask: going to school, serving their communities, exploring their futures. For those who do become system-involved, we have a profound opportunity — and responsibility — to set them back on the right path. The C.A.R.E. for Youth Plan is one small step to address gaps in our systems and a call to action. I urge my fellow lawmakers and neighbors of goodwill to reject oversimplified narratives that ask us to give up on our kids. Instead, let’s invest in the systems, relationships, and opportunities that will help every D.C. child reach their full potential.

Zachary Parker represents Ward 5 on the Council of the District of Columbia. He is a former educator, and previously served as President and Ward 5 Representative on the DC State Board of Education. Learn more at zacharyparkerward5.com.