When 13-year-old Sarah missed several school days, no one at school asked her why. If they had asked she would have told them that finding a place to sleep at night was more important than going to class. She would have told them about her troubles at home. She would have asked for help.

Instead, she was handcuffed and sent to court.

Add your name if you support ending the incarceration of girls like Sarah.

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In the United States, most incarcerated girls are locked up on the false pretense that it’s for their safety and well-being—not because they pose any threat to the public. But correctional facilities are not designed with their safety in mind.

Once behind bars, girls are subjected to solitary confinement, routine strip searches, and other forms of abuse. They are denied the mental health care, education, and social services they need. Far from helping girls cope with the trauma they have suffered, youth prisons re-traumatize them and push them farther away from society.

Vera has a plan to help end girls' incarceration nationwide. Here’s how you can help →

In solidarity,

Vera Institute of Justice

PAID FOR BY VERA INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE

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