Webinar: Growing Up in the Shadow of the Carceral State: Youth & Families Facing Incarceration Globally

According to UNICEF estimates, almost 250,000 children and youth are incarcerated globally, including 21,000 in North America. Many more have incarcerated parents or family members. Join the Petey Greene Program along with our partners Incarceration Nations Network for a discussion of the many ways in which the criminal legal system affects youth and children across the world, and the people and organizations that are working to support them, advocate for their rights, and build pathways toward justice, healing, and opportunity.

Join us for a powerful global conversation featuring:

• Nicole Loonstyn - Building Bonds Through Books Personally impacted by familial incarceration, Nicole works to reduce stigma and support families navigating the criminal legal system—including parents trying to stay connected to their children from behind bars.
• Megan Comfort – RTI International A leading sociologist and author of Doing Time Together, Megan has spent decades researching how incarceration reshapes families and what it takes to promote justice and wellbeing for those left behind.
• Franco Ruz Segura – Volver a Casa (Chile) Once incarcerated himself, Franco now leads education workshops in prisons and juvenile justice centers across Chile, proving that transformation is possible and higher education should be accessible—even behind bars.
• Katrian Clarke – Stand Up for Jamaica Katrian teaches accounting in correctional centers and coordinates programs empowering incarcerated individuals with skills and hope, believing education can break cycles of stigma and poverty.
• Lerato Kossie Waves for Change (South Africa) After his own incarceration became a turning point, Lerato founded a youth movement focused on mental health and leadership, and now supports coaches working with marginalized youth across Cape Town.