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Young people can accomplish incredible things– even in handcuffs

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Prison- Chattanooga, TN Kristen Minor solo

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Studio: Platinum Dance Studio 2014 Travis Cooper Choreography Senior Elite Level Song: This Place is a Prison- Postal Service Dancer: Kristen Minor

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What if your sister were murdered and you were under house arrest for attempted homicide of her killer? Alan Lawrence Sitomer, a real life teacher, asks his readers this question, as well as addressing themes of family, revenge, and morality.

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Four young girls navigate life in an experimental juvenile delinquent center on a farm

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The story of a young woman (in prison since the 7th grade) and the people in her life that finally bring her hope.

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A recasting of the author's 2002 adult fiction, Rikers, this novel tells the story of a young, black man stuck in prison for an accidental crime

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"What happens when students are arrested in the classroom?"

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JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, I want to bring in two more guests. Miaija Jawara is a high school senior in Harlem. She's a member of the Urban Youth Collaborative as well as the Dignity in Schools Campaign-New York Chapter. Earlier this month, she participated in the White House Initiative for African-American Excellence in Education. And Kesi Foster is a coordinator of the Urban Youth Collective.

Miaija, talk about your experiences with school safety officers, as they're called here in New York City.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And in the detention room, you have a safety-

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: The safe room, you have safety officers, as well?

Mm-hmm. So, it was in February of this year, just, you know, petty high school drama. Every high school has it. We were on school property, and we had fought after school. And we were right-we were still on school property, so, essentially, the school safety agents were the ones that were supposed to deal with the fight. But since it was kind of outside, even though we were still on school property, NYPD ended up dealing with the case. So, in addition to getting-well, being threatened with a suspension, after the fight was over, the two of us were pulled apart, put on opposite sides of the cop car, threatened with an arrest and given a criminal summons, and I had to appear in court in April of this year.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Kesi Foster, in her case, apparently, the police, other than giving her a summons, didn't appear to do-exercise any violence. What's wrong with that situation?

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes.

So, in New York, they are referred to as school safety agents. They are part of the NYPD. They are not under the purview of the Department of Education. They are under the purview of the New York Police Department.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And I've spoken to principals in New York City schools who complain about the fact that they have no control over these safety agents. If there's a particular one that they don't like their methods, they have no control over whether they stay in their school or not. And as you say, they basically are the arm of the police department inside the public schools.

After being tackled and given a summons, he thought the incident was over, but someone from the school actually ended up calling in the local police. And so now the local police department came and said there's an incident at the school, and they held that child in a room with no adult supervision or anyone involved for a number of-I don't member how long it was, about an hour or so. And the principal at that school at that time, right, something that she could have handled very easily, knowing the student and knowing this is not a dangerous situation, couldn't control what happened throughout that whole incident.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Phil Stinson, in about a minute, could you tell us to what degree the-to what degree the police are being deployed in minority school districts, largely, as opposed to white school districts across the country?

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Kesi Foster, what do you think needs to be done? What is your organization advocating for in terms of the use of these safety agents in schools?

And so we are advocating for an elimination of suspension and policies that push students out of school. Right? And we are also advocating for replacing school resource officers and police officers in schools with more guidance counselors, social workers, community intervention workers, and professionals that are trained in trauma-informed practices to create a safe and supportive system for schools and for young people. New York City has 5,400 school safety agents and a combined 3,600 guidance counselors and social workers. And so, we are not investing in the future of black children. We're not investing in public education. We're investing in prison cultivation.

We're going to leave it there, but we'll continue with this issue. Miaija Jawara, I want to thank you for being with us, and Kesi Foster, both with the Urban Youth Collaborative. Miaija Jawara is a student, a senior at a Harlem high school here in New York. Phil Stinson, speaking to us, a criminologist from Bowling Green University in Ohio, Bowling Green State University. Jaeah Lee, a Mother Jones reporter, we'll link to your piece at Mother Jones. And Adam Loewy, speaking to us from Austin, the attorney who represented Noe Niño de Rivera. We thank you all for being with us.

When we come back, we're going to talk about a change of heart, an evangelical minister, when it comes to gun rights and gun violence, and the woman who changed him, the story of her 17-year-old son, a story you've come to know well here on Democracy Now! Stay with us.

Cops in the Classroom: South Carolina Incident Highlights Growing Police Presence in Schools
Texas Student Spent 52 Days in Coma After Being Tased by Police at School

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Criminalizing the Classroom: Inside the School-to-Prison Pipeline

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New York City has more than 5,000 police officers patrolling the city's schools-that's more than the combined number of school guidance counselors and social workers. Nationwide, more than 17,000 officers work in the school. What happens when students are arrested in the classroom? We look at what many experts call the "school-to-prison pipeline."

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a comprehensive list of picture books, written for children whose family members are in prison

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a nonfiction book about young men on death row

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Before the hit tv show, Piper Kerman wrote a memoir about the atrocities of female prison and how our choices when we are young can affect adult lives.

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an editorial expressing the impact of YA literature on teens most likely to end up in prison, featuring a variety of recommendations

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I finished watching Orange is the New Black a few weeks ago, and what really stuck with me was the way the relationships among female inmates played out. I loved the dynamics, the drama, and more than anything else, the extent to which we see women in a crappy situation still able to be themselves - for better or worse - despite being behind bars. It got me thinking about the show Beyond Scared Straight and the ways in which teenagers who are sent for a day or weekend to prison find themselves pushed to their limits and how it does or doesn't impact them, both in the short and long term.

Which, of course, led me to think about how YA books have tackled teens in prison. So often, these stories seem to be forgotten about in real life - we forget that not all teens are in a traditional high school situation or have a place to go home to at night. Sometimes the reasons these kids are in prison is that they consciously did something terrible, but that's not always the case. Instead, many have found themselves in a shit position either because of a stupid decision on their part or because of how unfairly the justice system has impacted them.

Here's a look at a handful of YA books that feature teens behind bars, both those who are impacted by their sentences and those who may, unfortunately, see themselves returning not as juvenile offenders but instead, as adult prisoners.
Dirt Road Home by Watt Key
Though Hellenweiler is meant to be more of a boys home than an actual prison, for 14-year-old Hal, it's nothing short of jail. The deal is that if he manages to keep on the straight and narrow and not get into trouble here, he can get out in a few months. But between the gangs and violence in the prison, it's hard to steer clear - and worse, those who are in Hellenweiler want to see Hal get in trouble. This book skews a little younger, so many may consider it more "middle grade" than "YA."
Something Like Hope by Shawn Goodman
Shavonne has been in juvenile detention since she was in middle school, but it's not until she meets Dr. Delpopolo, the counselor, that she feels comfortable opening up about her rough family life and past. At 18, she'll be able to walk free - and being 17, that idea scares her. Worse, Shavonne's roommate isn't the most stable, and when a guard seeks revenge upon Shavonne, she learns she is a lot more ready for her freedom than she thought she was.
The Knife and The Butterfly by Ashley Hope Perez
Azael wakes up in a prison after a brawl, but he has no idea how he ended up here or why. It's not his first time in juvie, but this time, no one visits him and everything seems a little bit off. Forced to listen to another inmate - a white girl - as she struggles with what put her behind bars and unable to make sense of his case file full of redacted news clippings, Azael realizes that this sentence is indeed much different than his last. This time, he may never leave.
Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
How about unconventional juvenile detention? In Getting Somewhere, four girls who have nothing in common are sent to an experimental detention center on a farm in the middle of no where in order to serve out their punishment for the crimes they committed. Even though this is an opportunity to straighten up, not all of the girls will walk away from this experienced changed for the better.
Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin
Reese wants to get out of juvie early, but when his best friend in the facility is about to have his ass kicked, he knows he can't just sit back and let it happen. But Reese gets another chance when he's assigned to a senior citizen's home for a work program - maybe if he shapes up while on the job, he'll have his ticket out of Progress.
Juvie by Steve Watkins (Candlewick, October 8)
What led to rocker Ritchie Sudden ending up in juvie for 90 days? Was it his rock-and-roll lifestyle? Trying to get with the mega hot girl who has a boyfriend already? His falling apart family? Jail isn't a laughing matter, but this story might have you believing the means of Ritchie getting there can be kind of funny.
Rikers High by Paul Volponi
Sadie was always the good sister, and Carla's always been the irresponsible one. But when the two get caught up in a drug deal gone horribly wrong, Sadie takes the punishment to protect her sister and her sister's child. What should have been a light punishment, though, turns into six months in juvie - will she return back home the person she was before? Or will she be completely changed from her time behind bars?

Martin didn't mean to do what he did, but he's arrested for it anyway. When he's sent to Rikers Island and locked up, things only get worse when he's caught between two prisoners who don't get along. With his face now bruised, Martin's sent to a different part of Rikers where he'll be able to attend classes - and where he might meet the kind of adult mentor he needs to get his life back together. For readers who don't want to do YA books, this one actually started as an adult novel and was reworked to appeal to YA readers.

For those interested in non-fiction about juveniles in prison, there's No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin, featuring interviews with teens sentenced to death row. There's also Richard Ross's spectacular Juvenile in Justice which includes 150 photos of kids sentenced to time in prison throughout the United States, giving them an opportunity to talk about what life is really like behind bars. And for those who want an adult novel about a teen in juvie - with huge appeal for teen readers - there's Emma Rathbone's The Patterns of Paper Monsters.
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Doing Time: Stories of Juvenile Delinquents

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I finished watching Orange is the New Black a few weeks ago, and what really stuck with me was the way the relationships among female inmates played out. I loved the dynamics, the drama, and more than anything else, the extent to which we see women in a crappy situation still able to be themselves - for better or worse - despite being behind bars.

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Documentary available on Netflix, following to young women in a juvenile detention center

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The School-to-Prison Pipeline: Time to Shut it Down

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The School-to-Prison Pipeline: Time to Shut it Down

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an editorial from the National Education Association about concrete ways educators can end the cycle of low-performing students ending up in prison

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Another from Walter Dean Myers about life in prison, written as a screenplay/journal entries, but is also available in graphic novel format.

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Author Walter Dean Myers uses his experience speaking to teens in prison to write a realistic novel about life in "lockdown."

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A boy sent to boot camp by parents (hoping for improved behavior) experiences physical and psychological abuse.

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What is the experience of "juvie" really like? What effect does it have on teens?

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What causes the school to prison pipeline?

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Can teens escape the school to prison pipeline?

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Regina Spector's original theme song for the tv show "Orange is the New Black"

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Orange is the New Black | Opening Credits | Netflix

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The true story of Malcolm X's rise out of prison to becoming the voice of a national civil rights movement

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reviews of several YA novels about prison and a brief discussion on the positive effect these books can have on adolescents

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When Reese is in lockdown - confined to his own cell - the isolation feels like sweet relief. There's no chance of getting pushed around. No tough choices to make. "I was locked in and the rest of the world was locked out," he says. "I couldn't touch them, but they couldn't touch me, either."

But jail doesn't let anyone sit on the sidelines for long. Though Reese wants to take the smart path, he's seldom sure what set of rules and loyalties he should follow. He knows, for example, that he can't afford to get into fistfights. So when a plug-ugly bruiser (nickname, King Kong) beats up a weaker kid just to push Reese's buttons, should he stay silent or fight back?

For decades, the subject of youth incarceration has inspired the kind of cautionary tales so memorably showcased in "Scared Straight!"the 1978 documentary where cocky juvenile delinquents got the real story about prison life from menacing adult convicts. Fortunately, Myers is too invested in building complex characters to put his readers through "boot camp" in a book. "Lockdown" isn't a straightforward morality tale. It's a keenly observed portrait of what it means to serve time, full of hard choices and shaky shots at redemption.

Myers is a master of observing kids in tough places, from the 16-year-old charged with felony murder in "Monster," which won the first Michael L. Printz Award in 2000, to the young soldier in his recent "Sunrise Over Fallujah." What makes this new novel stand out is its vivid depiction of the jail ecosystem and the compromises it demands of those who are able to survive it.

Toward the end of "Lockdown," a drug dealer fingers Reese in a new crime, one he didn't commit. Now Reese faces the toughest choice of all. Should he make a false confession and spend three more years in jail, or tell the truth and risk a 20-year sentence? He agonizes over it. When an unexpected reprieve appears, it's as bracing as a splash of ice water, a reminder of how arbitrary and brutal the system can be.

Myers makes no promises. Though things look up for Reese, it's unclear whether he'll be able to redeem himself; his old life, including his manipulative, drug-addicted mother, is waiting at home to claim him. But readers will be heartened by how far he has come and his renewed sense of purpose.

Paul Volponi's "Rikers High" is another teenage prison story, though more harrowing - and less psychologically nuanced - than "Lockdown." It's a recasting of the author's 2002 adult novel, "Rikers," which drew on real people and situations Volponi observed during six years teaching teenagers in jail.

Seventeen-year-old Martin Stokes has spent five months on Rikers Island. He's waiting for his court date on a minor offense: telling an undercover officer where to buy weed. All Martin wants to do is stay cool until he can get home. But when he's shackled to an inmate who picks a fight with another, Martin gets slashed in the face with a razor. Now his short stint in jail will mark him for the rest of his life.

Like "Lockdown," "Rikers High" is a lesson in casual brutality, though the violence feels rawer and more terrifyingly random. Martin meets a long lineup of abusers: the riot squads who "will hit anything that moves, including kids with their hands up in the air"; the thuggish "soldiers" who act as other inmates' enforcers, sending messages with fists and wooden scrub brushes; the guards who batter an emotionally disturbed kid before they hose him down with a fire extinguisher. (If that sounds extreme, consider the recent 88-page report by a New York State task force on juvenile justice, which concludes that "in some facilities, youth are subjected to shocking violence and abuse.")

"Rikers High" is a distressing tale. Though the plot is exciting, it's also less emotionally absorbing than "Lockdown." Volponi leaps enthusiastically into jail patois, but the language feels a little distracting, as if his narrator were demonstrating a dialect rather than speaking in one. Would a teenager really characterize two glaring prisoners by saying that they "both had on their best ice grills"? Or say, "The new jack next to me had spent the night before fighting off the wolves for his good kicks"? Martin's voice never settles into a consistent rhythm and the awkwardness stunts his personality.

Martin manages to keep his head together with help from a trusted teacher, even after he loses a friend in a grisly accident. On the day of his release, he faces a final test. A kid hands Martin a razor so he can cut the boy who slashed his face. It's payback time, but only if Martin wants it. "Every trap and hole" is just waiting to trip him up, Martin thinks, bristling. He stands down.

Like Reese, Martin emerges from captivity wiser. But at what cost? More disturbing than the boys' memories are questions that linger long after their stories end: What happens to kids who pass their formative years behind bars? What are the odds that once they get out, they're better off than when they went in?

LOCKDOWN

By Walter Dean Myers

RIKERS HIGH

By Paul Volponi

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When Reese is in lockdown - confined to his own cell - the isolation feels like sweet relief. There's no chance of getting pushed around. No tough choices to make. "I was locked in and the rest of the world was locked out," he says. "I couldn't touch them, but they couldn't touch me, either."

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Young adult novel (and film staring Shia LaBeouf) about a young man's experience in a a desert detention camp

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a memoir about how an educator and scholar used  Shakespeare to encourage lifelong Prison inmates to turn their lives around

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How bad is the school to prison pipeline?

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Watch full episodes of your favorite PBS shows, explore music and the arts, find in-depth news analysis, and more. Home to Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, NOVA, PBS Newshour, Masterpiece and many others.

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scene from Walk the Line (film adaptation of Johnny Cash) demonstrating the catharsis of Johnny Cash's music for prisoners

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Walk the Line (4/5) Movie CLIP - Cocaine Blues (2005) HD

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Walk the Line movie clips: http://j.mp/1ixkXjd BUY THE MOVIE: iTunes - http://apple.co/1AQGfQY Google Play - http://bit.ly/1SZskOk Amazon - http://amzn.to/1JpvBne Fox Digital HD - http://bit.ly/1dQsGar FoxConnect - http://bit.ly/1diaWnl Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr CLIP DESCRIPTION: John (Joaquin Phoenix) performs "Cocaine Blues" and gets the prisoners revved up in Folsom Prison.