Though they were the same age as me, they seemed older in their ways. But two petite, feminine and pretty girls walked in … What? What could they have done, and to be wearing orange suits at that? Yet both were smiling and saying hello to me.Īnd when I met the two guys, they seemed calm and laid back.
When I first met the two girls, Mayra and Elizabeth, I was expecting two huge girls, bigger than me, with short hair and tattoos. Would they cry? Would they be angry? Though none of the four had an emotional outburst, some questions during the interview caused them to pause and try to hold in their emotions while thinking about painful memories. Even though I had prepared a list of questions, I didn’t know what to expect. Then I met the four teens and I found out just how bad their situations were. I also felt glad that my life didn’t take the same road as these kids’ lives had. I was really shocked when I saw a boy who looked like he was about 10 walking in a line with other kids, wearing handcuffs. I was surprised by the innocence of their faces, like they didn’t belong there. Did I feel sorry for them? Not right away. I felt uncomfortable that day, like I didn’t have any clue what these kids had been through.
#Nifty gay story free
I wouldn’t want someone who was free looking at me walking around in prison. I felt that he didn’t want to be looked at. Then one of them turned to look at me, and I turned my head to avoid eye contact. Illustration by Shengul Bajrami, 16, University HSWhile we sat talking, a few teens walked by with a guard, their heads facing the ground and their hands behind their backs.
#Nifty gay story full
He explained that I couldn’t ask any questions about their crimes, use their full names or take pictures of their faces because they were minors and their cases were pending. Out of 550 inmates in Juvenile Hall, 180 were being tried in adult court, Javier said. The four teens I was going to interview were all high-risk offenders. He told me that high-risk offenders wore orange jumpsuits, and those wearing gray and yellow suits were minor offenders or those who violated their probation.
We sat down on a bench in the middle of the yard. Inside Juvenile Hall, Javier Stauring, the Catholic chaplain, was there to guide me through the facility and be present during the interviews. Sometimes, it’s okay to give a voice to the "villains." They have been victims too. They were brought up this way so that’s how they’re going to treat others. This is what happens to kids who didn’t have direction or anybody who cared, who had to learn about life the hard way. But recognize that some people who commit crimes have many reasons behind their actions. I know there are victims of violent crimes whose voices go unheard. "Maybe he robbed a store, maybe he killed somebody, maybe he was selling drugs." Some people might ask, why would I want to write a story about juveniles in prison? Why would anyone want to read what these criminals have to say? Who cares? It’s easy to judge juvenile criminals as bad kids, but not so easy when you’re looking into the eyes of a teenager who is going to spend life in jail. I looked at each one, trying to guess his crime. They wore handcuffs and carried brown paper bags behind their backs. While waiting, I saw a few inmates getting on a bus. I was told to wait in a small lobby room, which separated the prison from the outside world. When I arrived at Central Juvenile Hall, I was expecting guards, watch towers, basically the setting of the Shawshank Redemption. This is the original state.Nicholas asks: "What can we expect these teens to do with life sentences, sit in their cells and rot?" He tells is he has had to adjust the age for the mainstream market. Please switch to a non Hotmail address if you do not receive your messagesĪndrew Todd has had this story published as a mainstream e-book called Riding High for which we offer our hearty congratulations.
We have had reports that Hotmail is once again silently deleting emails from us to its customers. Nothing will happen without a confirmation from you. This is an automatic confirmed opt in mailing list. You will receive a confirmation email almost at once.