I got this tattoo last month, “Always and forever.” No, I didn’t realize the “and” sign is backwards! I’ve been here 2 weeks.

This is my 8^th time here. Usually I’m here for 2 to 3 months at a time. I’m waiting to try and find placement, group home that deals with rehab for drugs and alcohol. I was using E but here they call it THIZZOES, the street name for E. I should be a sophomore but I have no credits for school. The last grade I completed was 8^th. My mom visits. She isn’t a parent; she’s a teenager in a parent body. She has 5 kids; one put up for adoption; one died; she has no job. My Mom is 40, into drugs and alcohol. She has a husband but he’s not my dad. My dad died when I was 5 or 6 from a morphine overdose. I have a boyfriend in school. When I run away I go to a girl friend’s house. The home is stable but the way we live is not. My girl friend’s parents both have jobs. They’re civilized, but they both sell drugs. I was abused by my mom, my mom’s husband and my dad. I was sexually abused by my mom’s husband. I was abused by everyone! He was charged but booked to Mexico. My mom is a citizen. Always and forever means I’m never going to give up; I’m going to always try. I’m not done yet. My boyfriend is christian and 20 years old. I’m a member of Barrio Libre Sotucson. I like doing yoga here.

–M.O. Age 16, Pima County Juvenile Detention Center, Tucson, Arizona

Richard Ross

Richard Ross is the Executive Director of www.juvenile-in-justice.com and Juvenile-in-Justice. He is the principal photographer for the Juvenile-in-Justice project and travels frequently throughout the country to photograph and interview incarcerated children. Ross lectures frequently and has spoken at the Vera Institute of Justice, the 7th Annual Models for Change Conference, JDAI conferences, The Justice for Youth Summit, and many more. He is the author of Juvenile-in-Justice the book which received the American Library Association's 2013 Alex Award. He has been the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Fulbright, and the Center for Cultural Innovation. Ross has taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara since 1977.

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