It was the recognition that a frightened young person deserved to be seen as more than a mistake.
Adam carried that lesson into law school.
He volunteered at a legal aid clinic.
He helped clients complete forms.
He listened to people who had lost jobs, homes, or access to essential services.
And he began to recognize something remarkable.
Many of the people who appeared before the justice system were struggling with problems that had existed long before their arrests.
Unemployment.
Illness.
Housing insecurity.
Untreated mental health difficulties.
Family breakdown.
Hunger.
They were not all innocent.
They did not all make good choices.
But nearly all of them had stories that deserved to be heard.
Adam graduated from law school after years of exhausting work.
When he passed the bar examination, the first person he called was his mother.
“We did it,” he said.
She began crying.
“No, Adam. You did it.”
