Wards of the State

1. Foster Care: A Pipeline to Prison and Homelessness

A study of nearly one thousand foster youth in the Midwest found that half left the system with criminal records, and more than 30 percent were imprisoned for violent crime within a year of leaving state care.

Systemic failure. America's child welfare system, intended to protect vulnerable children, often funnels them into homelessness and incarceration. This pattern is consistent across locales and decades, with staggering statistics revealing the dire outcomes for youth who "age out" of state care. The system, costing $31.4 billion annually, frequently leaves children in worse shape than when they entered.

Devastating statistics. Research highlights the severe challenges faced by former foster youth:

• Half leave the system with criminal records.
• Over 30% are imprisoned for violent crime within a year of aging out.
• At least 20% of national prison inmates are believed to be former foster children.
• Nearly half drop out of high school.
• More than half live in poverty by their mid-twenties.
• About 30% will experience homelessness by age twenty-six.

Unacknowledged crisis. Despite these alarming numbers, the connection between foster care and the criminal justice system remains largely unacknowledged outside of academia and those directly involved. The confidentiality shrouding foster care renders these children invisible, masking a societal emergency where the very system meant to save them often pushes them toward locked cells and the streets.

2. The Profound Trauma of Instability and Broken Attachments

Research shows that foster youth suffer post-traumatic stress at nearly twice the rate of Iraq War veterans.

Deep psychological wounds. The constant upheaval of foster care—moving from placement to placement, school to school, and caseworker to caseworker—inflicts profound psychological damage on children. This instability triggers chronically elevated stress hormones, disrupting brain development and leading to severe emotional and behavioral problems, often diagnosed as reactive attachment disorder.

Neurological impact. The National Academies of Sciences affirmed that the experience of foster care causes neurological damage to children’s brains:

• Disrupts the brain’s developing architecture.
• Leads to hypertrophic growth of the amygdala (associated with fear and aggression).
• Interferes with sleep cycles, alertness, and ability to focus.
• Impairs the ability to handle basic emotions like disappointment and anger.

Cycle of rejection. Children in foster care often struggle to form healthy attachments, leading to a vicious cycle where their misbehavior prompts caregivers to request their removal. This repeated rejection reinforces feelings of worthlessness and abandonment, making it difficult for them to trust or connect with others, even well-meaning adults.

3. Historical Roots of Child Removal and Societal Fear

On this point, there can be no dispute: The U.S. has repeatedly used the threat of child removal as a tool to control the disenfranchised.

Controlling the poor. From colonial times, the question of what to do with indigent children has been intertwined with societal fear and control. Early "placing out" programs, like the orphan trains, sent thousands of urban poor children to live with rural families, often as free labor, reflecting a belief that these children were "dangerous classes" destined for crime.

Class and race bias. Foster care has always been class-based, disproportionately affecting low-income families. This bias intensified with welfare reforms in the 1960s, which linked financial aid to "suitability laws" that often targeted Black mothers. This systematically crippled Black families, transforming foster care into a tool for evaluating and removing children from those deemed "unworthy."

Enduring legacy. The historical parallels are stark:

• Post-Civil War vagrancy laws criminalized unemployed Black men, leading to their children being "hired" by former slave owners.
• Welfare laws in the 20th century led to the removal of children from single Black mothers.
• Today, over half of all Black children interact with the child welfare system by age eighteen, and are more likely to be removed than white children.

This brutal history underscores how child removal has served as an instrument of government, motivated by concern, judgment, and fear, rather than solely child protection.

4. The Transformative Power of a Single, Trusted Relationship

There is only one intervention that has been shown, conclusively, to make a change in kids’ brains that translates into lasting behavior improvement. That intervention is relationships.

Healing through connection. While foster care often severs crucial bonds, the presence of a single, trusted adult can profoundly alter a child's trajectory. This nurturing relationship, whether with a teacher, advocate, or program manager, can literally reshape neural pathways damaged by trauma, fostering resilience and emotional regulation.

Individual stories. The book highlights several powerful examples:

• Jay Perez-Torres: A high school advocate helped him navigate gang life and homelessness, leading him to pursue a PhD in criminal justice.
• Maryanne Atkins: Her program manager at Echo Glen provided consistent care, helping her develop empathy and self-reflection.
• Arthur Longworth: His State-Raised Working Group in prison, and later his advocate Dawn Rains, helped him channel his rage into advocacy and find purpose.

Beyond therapy. This research suggests that while therapy and medication can be helpful, they are often insufficient without the foundational element of human connection. For adolescents, a period of immense brain plasticity, a nurturing relationship is the most powerful tool for positive change, offering a chance for repair and growth.

5. Advocacy and Data: Reshaping the Child Welfare System

Human experience could be quantified, Sixto saw, and those numbers, when presented to the right people, became evidence to drive change.

Turning pain into purpose. Sixto Cancel, a former foster youth who experienced a broken adoption and homelessness, transformed his personal suffering into a powerful advocacy platform. He recognized the system's failure to use data effectively and envisioned technology as a means to amplify youth voices and drive systemic change.

Think of Us. Sixto founded "Think of Us," an organization dedicated to using data and lived experience to reform foster care:

• Developed a website and app to mentor aging-out youth on life skills and resources.
• Conducted a national survey, collecting 3.9 million data points from over 27,000 foster youth, revealing intimate realities of their lives.
• Advocated for policy changes, including increased kinship care and the abolition of group homes.

Quantifying experience. Sixto's work demonstrated that personal stories, when backed by comprehensive data, become undeniable evidence for policymakers. His efforts led to significant funding and legislative changes, proving that those most affected by the system can be its most effective reformers.

6. The Arbitrary Nature of Juvenile Justice and Youth Culpability

From a moral standpoint, it would be misguided to equate the failings of a minor with those of an adult.

Evolving jurisprudence. The legal system's understanding of juvenile culpability has undergone a dramatic shift, recognizing that children's brains are physiologically different from adults'. Supreme Court rulings, informed by neuroscience, have acknowledged that minors are more impulsive, susceptible to negative influences, and capable of change.

Arbitrary age cut-offs. Despite scientific consensus, the application of these principles remains inconsistent and often arbitrary. Maryanne Atkins, at 16 years and six weeks, was charged as an adult for murder, while a few weeks younger might have placed her in juvenile court. This highlights the precarious line between being treated as a child versus an adult in the justice system.

The "children are different" decision. Key legal developments include:

• Roper v. Simmons (2005): Banned capital punishment for juveniles, citing underdeveloped brain regions controlling reasoning.
• Miller v. Alabama (2012): Mandated that courts consider a juvenile's life circumstances when sentencing for homicide, acknowledging "crime-producing" upbringings.
• Monschke decision (2021): Washington state extended juvenile legal protections to individuals as old as 20, recognizing continued brain development.

These rulings underscore the moral imperative to differentiate between the actions of a still-developing youth and a fully formed adult, even in the face of horrific crimes.

7. Group Homes: Institutions That Stunt Development

The youth in those kinds of facilities are almost three times more likely to end up getting pushed into juvenile justice. It’s about the structure of the institution—they’re not parented. Nobody loves them. They’re an object.

Confinement, not care. Group homes, often a last resort for older foster youth, frequently resemble detention centers or hospitals more than nurturing environments. They are characterized by strict rules, lack of privacy, and transactional relationships with staff, reinforcing a sense of being "objects" rather than loved individuals.

Negative outcomes. Research consistently shows that congregate placements lead to poor developmental outcomes:

• 80% of kids in group facilities are below average in cognitive development.
• They struggle with forging healthy bonds.
• They are nearly three times more likely to be pushed into the juvenile justice system.
• Many develop a "fuck the world" attitude, seeing violence as a necessary response for survival.

Lost opportunities. The institutional setting prevents children from experiencing normal adolescent milestones like joining sports teams, going on field trips, or building lasting friendships. This isolation and lack of personal investment from adults leave them ill-equipped for independent living, perpetuating a cycle of instability and anger.

8. The Illusion of Independence for Aging-Out Youth

Our findings call into question the wisdom of federal and state policies that result in foster youth being discharged from care at or shortly after their eighteenth birthday.

Unprepared for adulthood. Thousands of foster youth "age out" of the system at 18 (or 21 in some states) with minimal education, no job training, and no family support. Despite government programs aimed at promoting "independent living," these youth are often thrust into adulthood without the basic skills or safety nets that most young adults take for granted.

Struggles with basic life skills. Many aged-out youth lack fundamental knowledge and resources:

• How to manage money, apply for jobs, or secure housing.
• Understanding health insurance or psychiatric medication renewals.
• The ability to envision and work towards long-term goals.
• A reliable connection to any adult for advice or support.

"Learned passivity." Years of being "processed" by the state, with services automatically provided, can lead to a "presumption of continued entitlement" or "learned passivity." This makes it difficult for them to proactively navigate the complexities of adult life, leading to frustration, anxiety, and a tendency to quit jobs or programs when challenges arise.

9. Kinship Care: A More Humane and Effective Alternative

Had he been placed with his aunt as a boy, Sixto would have grown up in an enormous extended family, rather than believing no one cared anything about him.

The power of family bonds. The practice of placing foster children with relatives, known as kinship care, offers a more stable and culturally appropriate alternative to stranger placements. It leverages existing family connections, providing children with a sense of belonging and continuity that is often absent in traditional foster care.

Overcoming systemic barriers. Historically, kinship care was rare and often unfunded, with the system prioritizing removal from "dysfunctional" families over maintaining existing bonds. This reflected a deep-seated illogic, ignoring the neurological programming that drives children to forgive and seek reconciliation with their biological families.

Growing recognition. Advocacy, particularly from individuals like Sixto Cancel, has led to a growing emphasis on kinship care:

• Legislation now makes it easier for relatives to receive financial support, similar to what foster parents receive.
• Over a third of children in foster placements now live with kin.
• This approach aims to reduce the trauma of separation and provide children with a stable, loving environment rooted in their own family history.

By prioritizing kinship care, the system can move away from its history of severing family ties and instead support children within their existing networks, fostering stronger attachments and better long-term outcomes.

10. The State's Accountability: A Lingering Question

I believe that I should have been locked up at eighteen. I needed help. I was raised to be an animal, and that’s what happened.

The state as "crime partner." Arthur Longworth, sentenced to life for murder, articulated a profound sense of injustice: he felt sentenced by the very entity that raised him. He argued that the state, through its foster care system, molded him into a "survival machine" ill-equipped for mainstream society, yet dodged any accountability for its role in his crimes.

Unanswered questions. Judge Ferguson, in Maryanne Atkins's case, alluded to a "faceless entity" that would never answer for its role in her "enormous tragedy." This highlights a systemic void where, despite the state's legal guardianship, there is no mechanism for it to be held responsible for the long-term harm inflicted on its wards.

The "fence or ambulance" dilemma. Judge Ernestine Gray's metaphor of "A Fence or an Ambulance" critiques the system's focus on reactive measures (ambulances at the bottom of the cliff) rather than preventative ones (fences at the top). By failing to address underlying causes like poverty, substance abuse, and mental illness, the state perpetuates a cycle of harm and then punishes its victims.

The book implicitly asks: If the state forces its children to account for their crimes, will it ever do the same for its own systemic failures?

11. Resilience and the Enduring Search for Belonging

Nighttime is when you can lose yourself & be yourself, / Nighttime is really just knowing I made it through the day & there’s a new one coming soon.

Survival and adaptation. Despite unimaginable trauma, the children in this book display remarkable resilience, adapting to chaotic circumstances and finding ways to survive. Whether it's Maryanne learning to navigate the streets, Tina finding temporary shelter, or Art Longworth teaching himself to write in solitary confinement, their stories are testaments to the human spirit's capacity to endure.

The yearning for connection. Beneath the hardened exteriors and survival instincts, a deep yearning for family and belonging persists. Monique's desperate search for family, Jay's secretiveness about his past, and Maryanne's efforts to piece together her fractured life all speak to this fundamental human need. Even in prison, Maryanne finds solace in caring for an abandoned cat, reflecting her own journey.

Hope for a new day. Maryanne's poem, written after years of confinement, encapsulates this enduring hope. It acknowledges the darkness and challenges of the past but looks forward to a new day, a chance for self-discovery and a future where she can finally be herself. This search for identity and a place to belong drives them all, even when the path is fraught with setbacks and betrayals.