First of all I want you to know that I am not a professional in the fields of
psychology or criminology. My education is from 40 years of studying
people and being in the streets. I have no formal training or lab experience
but only the experience of the streets.
I am trusted by these people because I treat them as equals not as
specimens. I also care. Also I am not easily conned. In my day I
did some conning and you can not con a con. I deal with addicts and those
who are down and out. I deal with street people.
I am now getting involved with convicts who are guilty and those who are
innocent of the crimes they are serving time for. I have learned a lot
about life and about people who are in prison. I have learned a lot about
the system and its down side which in most cases is its only side.
Putting kids in an adult prison is child abuse. There is no excuse for
it. No one under the age of 21 should be in an adult prison. The
youth prisoners should be segregated base on their violent tendencies.
Not the violence of the crime committed.
A child who murdered their abuser may not be a violent child. If a child
or a spouse is abused physically they may not be able to defend themselves
while being abused. They are always in danger of losing their lives while
the abuser is awake. The only time they can act is when the abuser is
asleep. It is still self defense.
If the mother is being attacked by the abusing parent and the child gets a gun
and kills them it is not only defending the mother but also themselves because
the odds are that they will be next. The same goes of the mother and with
siblings.
Protecting the lives of yourself and family members is not a crime.
We are born with a good side and a bad side. Like in the cartoons with a
devil and an angel looking like the character we many times have internal
strife. With some of us good wins most of the time and to others bad wins
most of the time. With others it may be 50/50.
What happens to us in life can help either side prevail. It depends on
what happens and how strong one side is.
We are in a constant state of change. The change may be good or bad
depending on what is happening to us. In most cases a person who is a
criminal may be rehabilitated no mater how old and how bad. The problem
in prison is that the powers that be do not want the prisoners
rehabilitated. They want to keep the revolving door working and the
prisoners coming back. They make money off the prisoners. In many
cases they are just mean people who are worse that those they are guarding.
To charge children as adults is wrong however the juvenile courts are also
failing to do the job of rehabilitating. If a 16 year old goes to a youth
facility they will be out when they are 18. They may not be ready.
In the case violent crimes there should be a minimum and maximum as there is
with the adult system no matter what the age. The youth facility must
work with the prisoner’s mental health and with rehabilitation. The
prisoners must be trained for the world they will be put into and they should
go to halfway houses to prepare for their entry into society.
Every year the prisoner should be evaluated by people who know what they are
doing and care about what they are doing. If it is decided give the
prisoner parole that they should go into a release program that makes sure that
they can make it. They will go on work release, (possibly a jail or
halfway house or a jail then a halfway house.) Next they should be given
a support group and a parole officer who cares.
The youth facilities should be close to the adult prisons and the youthful
offenders should be given mentors from the adult prison. These would be
adult prisoners who want to help youthful offenders go strait. They could
write to each other and they could meet in support groups at the adult prison.
Children sell drugs and commit crimes because they know that they will not
spend time in prison. They know that they may spend a short time in a
youth facility but to them it is worth it and it improves their rep in the
streets. In some cases boot camps work but in some cases they do more
harm than good.
We need other options but trying them as adults is not one of them.
I am going to have web pages for youthful offenders. For those who would
like to contribute the site please e-mail me at theinjusticesystem@castleofhopeforlostsouls.org
If you have a child who has been tried as an adult and you want their story
told write it and e-mail to the above address along with a picture of the
child. I will give you the credit for the story and show it as
copyrighted by you. If you have a friend who has a child in that
situation please contact the parents and either you or them e-mail the story
and picture to me. If there is a legal defense fund make sure you give me
the contact information.
I am going to have links to other sites for youthful offenders and the pages in
this site.
© Copyright 2003 Lee W. Gaylord
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