ALL CHILDREN DESERVE A CHANCE TO MAKE A MISTAKE AND LEARN FROM IT.
JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM

ABOUT
Darius Pettway
Darius Pettway was raised on the streets of Detroit. The way he was going, he was either headed for a life of drugs and long prison sentences or he’d be dead within months. Raised by a single mom, who tried to keep him on the straight and narrow path, Darius found the streets of Detroit had a stronger call on his choices than church and football. Friends and close family members dropped like flies around him—either locked up for decades or shot dead by rival gang members and pissed-off drug dealers. Along the way, someone always showed up to help—a teacher, a football coach, or a family member; but it was never enough to make Darius change … until he was in prison for the fourth time, and he knew this was his last chance to either change or die.
History
Life Skool was founded and established in 2020 by Mr. Darius Pettway as a program aimed at breaking the cycle of incarceration for vulnerable young males by intervening in the lives of youth who are most vulnerable to entering the juvenile justice or adult correctional system. Through innovative leadership development programs, empowering conferences, and opportunities for higher education and skill trades, Life Skool equips and empowers young individuals with limited resources with the tools they need to succeed and secure a promising future. Life Skool has played a significant role in shaping policies and practices related to juvenile justice, emphasizing rehabilitation, prevention, and the overall well-being of young adults involved in the system. Our work continues to evolve as society’s understanding and willingness to act on juvenile justice issues deepens and as efforts to reform the system progress to restore hope and opportunity to young adults far beyond their early stages of life.