S2E2: The 3rd Grade Prison Pipeline & Putting NBA YoungBoy on Trial with Carrie Buntain

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Shield! Today, we are joined by Carrie Buntain, former prosecutor and current Executive Director of the Family Resource Center, located right inside the Jefferson County Family Court.

Carrie pulls back the curtain on the brutal realities of the juvenile justice system, intergenerational trauma, and why a child's life trajectory is often decided by the 3rd grade. But this isn't just a conversation about the problems—it's a masterclass in innovative solutions, including a brilliant story about how her team used a mock trial of rapper NBA YoungBoy to keep high-risk youth out of jail.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The reality of prosecuting child abuse cases.
• Why Section 8 housing shifts are causing community violence.
• The direct link between truancy and future murder charges.
• How the FRC acts as a lifeline for families in crisis.

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