I looked for love and acceptance everywhere.
I’m going to be 18 in 2 weeks. I have been here one year and one month. I am here for criminal trespassing as well as sex offenses. I’ve done a lot of counseling by myself and with my family– I have four sisters and three brothers, and I live with my grandmother. This place allows for a lot of creativity. I get to do plays and art. I was adjudicated for aggravated assault against a minor under 14. When I did the offense I was 14, but she didn’t tell on me until last year when I was 16. I used to always blame others, but now I realize there were issues of love and acceptance, power and control, safety and security, fun and variety, and self-esteem. If any of these things are missing, you can do bad things. I just wanted to feel cool. I looked for love and acceptance everywhere.
- P.P, age 17, Burnett-Bayland Reception Center, Houston, Texas
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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