What is the No Child Is Born Bad campaign?

No Child Is Born Bad is a truth-telling campaign that aims to activate the American public and both state and federal lawmakers to push harder for legal system reform, specifically extreme sentencing of youth, by reckoning with the damage caused by the racist superpredator theory of the mid-1990s and highlighting ongoing efforts to rectify the harm it wrought. The campaign will have a number of complementary elements rolled out over weeks, including various pieces of visual media, a legal report, and traditional media pieces, and will culminate in a day of healing for the CFSY community honoring members of our Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network and others whose lives were impacted directly by the superpredator myth. Be sure to check back each week for new content on this page!

What can I do to help?

  1. Join us in our advocacy efforts to enact policies at the state and federal level to repair the harm caused by the superpredator theory. Sign up here.
  2. Stand in solidarity with those harmed by the superpredator theory and were sentenced to life without parole, but are now free, by partnering on our Community Prosperity Initiative
  3. Join us in our truth-telling campaign by sharing the content on this webpage on social media using the hashtag #NoChildIsBornBad and by sharing a photo of yourself holding a picture with the words “No Child Is Born Bad.” 
  4. Purchase a CFSY Bright Black Candle. The scent design combines grapefruit, freshly-cut grass, and thyme to invoke the beauty of fair chances and to spark action within our movement.
  5. Donate to CFSY to ensure children are held accountable in age-appropriate ways and never condemned to die in prison.