My 16-year old client – a young woman who had already spent several years in foster care – just wanted to share her story in court. She hoped to tell the judge the ways in which group home staff were mistreating her. She wanted an outlet to share her dreams about what she was going to accomplish after exiting the system.

She craved the opportunity to hear – firsthand – what was happening in her case. Her case was about her. She desired to be a part of it.

Yet, hearing after hearing, the judge refused to let her in. He didn’t want her to miss school. He was worried that the hearings would upset her. He didn’t think it was appropriate for a child to hear adults talking about sensitive issues. He couldn’t be bothered to make sure that someone would bring her to court. So for years, he shut her out of the most important thing happening in her life.

[For more on this story by Vivek Sankaran, go to https://chronicleofsocialchang...en-and-unheard/33819]