Mistakes Kids Make

95  percent of kids who get arrested have not committed a violent crime, yet they often face the same fate as the 5 percent who do. Each year, 200,000 kids under age 18 are tried in courts meant for adults. Sixty-six percent of kids who have been incarcerated never return to school. It doesn't have to be this way. All kids should be treated as kids, even when their actions break the law.

Please join us in support of Mistakes Kids Make, a storytelling project to remind us that the things we do as kids should not ruin the rest of our lives or the lives of our families.

• Visit the campaign's interactive website to participate in a survey about the mistakes you made as a kid, and discover how famous individuals have overcome the mistakes they made as kids.
• Watch the short video (presented at left) that depicts how one-size-fits-all policies may prevent kids from getting past their mistakes.
• Sign a pledge to speak up for kids. Pledge to stand up for the decisions in your community and in your state that hold kids accountable, but provide the support they need to become better as adults.