social work

We Social Workers Should Remember Our Values and Stop Policing

In response to the murders of Black people by police, we have seen sweeping calls for systemic change. Chants heard…

October 19, 2021

The Ethical Conflict of Social Work Within a Carceral System

On a sweltering summer afternoon, I stood with our mental health team, waiting while a guard unlocked the door to…

November 2, 2020

“The Drum Beat in My Head Gets Louder”—Meet DPA’s New Leader

“Is it going to be Kassandra?” There’s a reason that question was asked over and over in harm reduction circles…

September 10, 2020

Scrutinizing the Foster System’s Relationship With the War on Drugs

So many aspects of the racist War on Drugs—stop-and-frisk, mandatory minimum sentencing for crack cocaine, drug courts, to name just…

July 2, 2020

Cops Morphing Into Social Workers Is Not a Solution

All across the US, law enforcement asserts its power through its sheer visibility in a vast array of public spaces.…

April 23, 2019

Drug Laws Undermine Ethics for Social Workers in Child Welfare

As a 20-year-old undergraduate student who had limited familiarity with substance use beyond alcohol, the most formative aspect of my…

March 21, 2019