>
>[WS:] I'm sorry, but I do not find this believable. I
>did not read the book, so I cannot comment on the book
>itself, but what you wrote above simply does not seeem
>to be true. Foster care/children's shelters are NOT
>incarceration, as anyone familair with the social
>service system in this country knows.
He didn't go into foster care, he went to Los Angeles Juvenile Hall and he was incarcerated. While there, he was beaten and raped by both fellow wards and counselors.
>These are supposed to
>be correctional facilities not vacation spas, and if
>the harsh conditions there made the guy mend his ways
>and become a productive member of society - as
>evidenced by the fact that he became a published
>writer - testifies to the effectiveness of the
>correctional aspect of this instituion, no?
He's still in jail and has been for most of his life. He wrote the book when he was in solitary on scraps of paper given to him by a guard who then mailed the scraps to a relative. Read the book and get back to me.
>But this "compassion for criminals" stuff
>just ain't cutting it. Why should I feel compassion
>toward those who prey on other people? Tell me. I am
>all ears.
I don't recall ever asking for compassion for criminals. This guy was nine years old when he first entered the system and he wasn't a criminal until after he was in juvenile hall. He also says that most people he has met in prison were first locked up in California Youth Authority. When you have a system that systematically brutalizes kids, you have a problem.