The social reality is that our communities cannot thrive without accountability. Justice-involved youth must be held responsible in ways that are developmentally appropriate, restorative, and grounded in dignity. Beyond consequences, however, lies a higher ethic; a purpose-driven mandate for 21st-century systems of care: to create real pathways for redemption, growth, and reintegration. Supporting young people in taking ownership of their actions while offering them the opportunity to rebuild their lives is not optional—it is essential. How do we accomplish this in an era marked by trauma exposure, systemic inequities, and complex family and community dynamics? It begins with a collective commitment to accountability that heals rather than harms, and redemption that restores rather than excludes. In “Accountability & Redemption: Building Pathways for Justice-Involved Youth,” Dr. Joel Núñez, a New Jersey–state licensed clinical psychologist, author, and public speaker, presents empirically supported and time-honored principles that balance responsibility with compassion—empowering youth to rewrite their stories and create futures defined not by their worst mistakes, but by their capacity for change.