“Now I take responsibility for me.”
I was at Marler for two years. Now I live in my own apartment inside Marler. I have been in Platt County Jail since I was 17. Both my parents visit me here. My stepfather, who is currently on the run, molested me. My Mom is a paralegal. I’m in my own apartment here to gain skills, learning to live on my own. I hope to work in the food industry. I’m here for 2 charges of aggravated assault and one felony. I spent a lot of time hanging around gang members and drug dealing. Now I have to take responsibility for me.
–A.J. age 20, Betty K. Marler Youth Child Care Center, Denver, Colorado
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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