Sometimes hearing a story is the best way to understand an
issue. Ismael Nazario explains his experience in an adult facility as a teenage in his TED talk
"What I learned as a Kid in Jail".
Ismael's story focuses on the importance of rehabilitative
experiences for youth through the juvenile system rather than a placement in
an adult facility that leaves them "becoming more angry, frustrated, and
feel[ing] more hopeless". He talks about people he met who had incredible
talents. He ponders on the difference their stories would have had if those individuals had been able to strengthen those talents through
programming. However, Ismael’s greatest
argument is, perhaps, that sending youth to adult facilities is NOT in their best interest; that youth need more directed care.
How can we continue to grow our youth rehabilitative
programs to reduce the rate of recidivism for youth? In what ways can we pour
into these kids to help them see a brighter future? In what ways can stories
like Ismael's continue to encourage the culture of our systems, encouraging the placement of youth as separate from adults? In what ways can his story impact the
youth of today?
This is a great video! I agree that he made a good argument, adult facilities are not meant for youth and it is not in their best interest- they do in fact need more directed care. My article was also geared toward juvenile/adult systems, how 17 year olds are being charged as adults in some states and juveniles in others. I love the questions you have raised! Our youth today need better rehabilitative programs to reduce their chances of relapsing and reduce the rate of recidivism for youth.
ReplyDeleteI loved this video! I think it is very important for individuals to share their personal experiences in prison and solitary confinement so law makers can really understand how the system in place is failing juveniles. My ultimate career goal is to create a program that juvenile offenders can participate in to reduce their chances of returning to the juvenile system. Hearing personal stories like Ismael Nazario's lets me know how important it is for such programs to be created.
ReplyDeleteThis posting makes me think of the book we are reading for class (Redemption in Texas). As I have started reading the book, I am developing a strong sense of the significant adversities that delinquent youth have often faced prior to becoming involved in the legal system. This facility in Texas that the book talks about sounds like it has excellent programs with phenomenal success rates (low recidivism). It makes me wonder, if these programs really work for the youth that come into their care, then why aren't there more facilities like this one across the nation. There is evidence that quality rehabilitation programs work for youth and lessen their risk of reoffending, so why isn't more being done for these youth. It is not stable or healthy for them to be bounced around in and out of juvenile detention and it is certainly not healthy for them to be put into adult facilities where they will only be further traumatized. If we put youth in adult facilities, I believe that they will be extremely vulnerable to being victimized within the system by older and bigger criminals. This will cause them to go into survival mode. And for most of these youth, survival mode may mean going outside the legal limits to keep themselves safe. Youth have growing minds that are still developing, we see that through neuroscience, lets use that knowledge to foster these youth and help them repair those neurological pathways through therapy and help them. Many of them have been victims before, and if we put them in the adult system, we only put them at higher risk of being victimized and further encourage their self-fulling prophecy of being a failure and not being cared for.
ReplyDelete