Sophia Li

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered one of the most volatile economic recessions the United States has seen. Millions of Americans most proximately felt the impacts of increased inflation, higher food insecurity, and pricier bills for rent, groceries, emergencies, and other critical expenses. The “Great Resignation” trend of voluntary unemployment due to untenable costs of living and stagnant wage adjustment to Pandemic-era circumstances magnified a larger societal problem that has been deep-rooted in the American labor system for decades: low minimum wages....

As the implementation of Juvenile Detention as a mechanism to hold youth accountable has been growing, so has the profound negative impacts it has on these teenagers. Studies have found that teens often experience severe mental health conditions during and after their sentence in Juvenile Detention including anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The isolation in Juvenile Detention often causes psychological and behavioral issues, including aggressive and disruptive behaviors within kids. Despite several attempts at reform on a federal and state lev...