Every day, social workers in our country hear some of the most heartbreaking and enraging stories from real people living really hard lives. I think most of us would say it's satisfying to watch someone who broke the law receive a proper sentence. We instinctively long for justice. Yet without denying justice, we cannot also deny one's humanity, though I believe that is easier said than done. My friend Jonathan Balcar has a heart for people who society has reached their conclusions about. He's able to see the humanity of a person who has made bad decisions, and he recogonizes that it may not be as simple as "bad people do bad things." There's a story behind the story. We discuss what this looks like and what they look like to him. I think we can all be inspired by this episode.

Oh and there's a hilarious bonus Balcar story at the end that has nothing to do with the episode but it's still important.