Today Jim Mora of Radio New Zealand interviewed Richard Ross, the artist behind Juvenile-in-Justice. In the 30 minute piece Ross reflects on the privilege of speaking to over 1,000 kids and listening to the stories of their impossibly difficult lives before incarceration. Of the small population of juveniles serving time for violent, bodily crimes, the vast majority of those kids had violent childhoods. “Most of these kids come from pretty destitute conditions and the polarity of the condition is just getting worse,” Ross states. Mora and Ross discuss the cradle to prison pipeline in the U.S and the impact of incarceration on juveniles, especially those that are constantly going in and out of facilities. Ross says, “We cast such a broad net…having normal kids brought into the system, it’s destructive.”

Listen to the interview here:

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