How can we, individually and collectively, interrupt the stereotypes and fears of incarcerated, court-involved and criminalized youth? This workshop will explore the Mitigating Evidence strategies designed by Free Write Arts & Literacy, a Chicago-based organization with 18 years of experience engaging incarcerated and court-involved youth in art making, literacy skill building and post-incarceration employment. The conversation will also focus on the effects of unconstitutional policing strategies and the school-to-prison pipeline on Chicago’s most vulnerable young people.