Why Lived Experience Must Shape Policy

Policy is often written far from the realities it governs. Without lived experience at the table, systems risk designing solutions that look effective on paper but fail in practice.

Youth and families navigating the justice system possess critical knowledge: where processes break down, where harm is unintentionally amplified, and where support is most needed. When these voices are excluded, policies tend to prioritize efficiency over dignity.

Lived experience challenges assumptions. It exposes how timelines that seem reasonable to institutions can feel unbearable to families. It reveals how compliance-focused conditions can unintentionally set people up for failure. It shows how one-size-fits-all approaches ignore cultural context, trauma history, and community dynamics.

Policy shaped by lived experience is more responsive, more humane, and ultimately more effective. It leads to diversion models that are flexible. It informs accountability measures that are realistic. It encourages collaboration rather than fragmentation.