Juvenile Detention Center: Kids In Jail

Do we really need to put children in jail?

Becky and I visited a Juvenile Detention Center yesterday. We talked to boys about hope and dreams. The discussion was no different from dozens of others with kids in schools all across the country.

The boys were sometimes distracted and probably more curious about the bike and the dog and anything I said. A couple of them eagerly volunteered responses, and several were quiet but obviously thoughtful. That makes them pretty much like boys everywhere. They reminded me of every classroom full of kids I ever taught.

Do they need to be in jail?

Most are minorities. The teacher said they all came from disadvantaged backgrounds…poverty, broken families, abuse, instability. None came from white, suburban, middle or upper class families. Funny how that happens, how the kids who need to be in jail all share the same backgrounds.

These boys were smart, but I’ll bet most are behind their peers in school. If statistics hold, many likely can’t read near grade level. Of course, none of that has anything to do with ability or even desire. Most of these kids never had anything close to an equal shot.

They’ve passed through multiple homes and schools, with nothing close to a stable, caring environment. And, to nobody’s surprise, they’ve acted out and done poorly in school. They’ve run away and rebelled—is that a surprise?

Do they need to be in jail?

Jesus talked about freedom and hope and grace. He never used fear, coercion, or punishment to get people to follow Him.

We put children in jail.

These boys didn’t wear orange jump suits. Their jail clothing was dark blue, but I couldn’t escape the sense that they were prisoners-in-training. One boy was so small that he disappeared in clothing made for a much larger person. You could see the fear in his young eyes—a child in jail, surrounded by armed guards. What does he think when he tries to close his eyes at night?

Does he know he’s special? Valued? Loved? Forgiven? That’s what children need. Does jail provide those?

I claim no magic answers, but is this really the best we can do? It seems such a waste, so many young people with so much potential in every community—locked in jail because we don’t have a better alternative.

I told those boys they could dream and follow God-sized dreams. I told them they could trust in hope. I could see in their eyes—they weren’t sure they believed what I was saying. Honestly, I’m not sure I believed it, either.

Are we stealing their dreams? Are we concealing the hope God wants them to see?

Do we really need to put children in jail?

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