The Hug Act: One Step Forward for Restoring Humanity, Building Power, and Changing Systems

Sometimes the most powerful policy changes begin with simple human moments.

When Assemblymember Isaac Bryan visited a juvenile hall and asked young people what they would change first, their answer was quite straightforward: “We just want to hug our moms.”

That request became AB 1646, the Hug Act, a historic piece of legislation as it was the first written and championed by currently incarcerated young people. Now signed into law, it protects the right of incarcerated youth across California to embrace their loved ones during visits.

The Hug Act is about more than physical contact. It is about remembering that the young people inside our juvenile halls are first and foremost children. It is about recognizing that even though juvenile halls and camps are some of the most dangerous and dehumanizing places for young people, we have the ability to make changes that bring dignity, connection, and care to the youth and families most impacted. It is also a powerful example of what becomes possible when we take young people seriously, recognize families as leaders, and invest in the community organizations working alongside them.

For philanthropy, there is an important lesson in this victory.

Policy change doesn't happen overnight, nor does it happen through legislation alone. It takes years of relationship-building, organizing, leadership development, and advocacy. Organizations like Hoops 4 Justice, Urban Peace Institute, and countless community partners have helped create the conditions for young people and families to turn their lived experiences into meaningful policy change. The Hug Act is a clear and intuitive step toward restoring a basic human right for our kids. And it provides a powerful model that can be replicated for broader systems changes.

At Liberty Hill, we believe philanthropy has a responsibility to invest in this kind of sustained community power, supporting organizations not only to address the immediate harms young people experience, but to transform the systems that perpetuate them.

The Hug Act is a victory worth celebrating. But it should also make us ask why we needed to legislate hugs to begin with.

It is all of our jobs to ensure that young people experience dignity and care wherever they are, using all of the tools, resources, and imaginative thinking at our disposal to create systems that are humane, age appropriate, and effective at keeping young people on the right track.