It is estimated that over 400,000 juveniles pass through detention centers every year. The book Juvenile In Justice, by Richard Ross, talks about youth’s real world experiences with juvenile detention centers by incorporating the perspectives of current and former inmates. Some of the youth in these detention centers come and go within days. Others however stay in these types of systems for most if not their entire life. It also talks about the flaws in our justice system and how that can affect the kids in theses systems. Something I learned from this book that surprised me was about the amount of gang violence that exists amongst youth. Growing up in Decorah, I hadn’t seen much gang violence. However, in some bigger cities, gang violence is a normal part of everyday life for some people. Some of the kids in this book have killed people, due to gang retaliations, and they don't even realize that what they did was wrong. It’s stuff like this that really challenges my thinking just for the fact that I clearly know it is wrong. To me it almost seems impossible to think that killing someone isn’t bad. A kid killing someone nonetheless. This book definitely taught me a lot about myself and the life I have. It showed me some of the effects of growing up in the conditions that some of these inmates grew up in. It taught me to really appreciate what I have in life because others aren’t as fortunate as I am. This also goes to show that you can’t judge people because it may not be their fault. Some people just grow up in the wrong part of town, or they may have a great life but just make dumb choices. You just never know. One quote that changed the way I feel on gang violence was, “She kissed one of them on the mouth, pulled out a gun, and shot him in the back of the head…” (Glass 17). This quote really touched me. Just the thought of someone my age doing that is unthinkable. Nathan M.
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AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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November 2022
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