Comments on: Texas Contemplating Mass Releases Of Improperly Imprisoned Juveniles

By: Angela Johnson

Angela Johnson — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:14:59 +0000

This whole system makes my blood curdle, I live in Williamson County Texas and in the same year (2006)my then 13 year old son who was attending a school for children with diagnosed extensive mental/behavior problems was arrested for swearing at a teacher. My son was not released until May 25th of 2008 spending all this time in TYC for swearing. Now last I checked persons diagnosed with Bipolar much less Schitzo-Affective (meaning bipolar traits and schitzophrenia traits present in his case in high instances)swear from time to time.
The 7 boys in the class were playing a game of basketball, when my son missed his layup shot and the ball bounced off the rim and hit another student. My son quickly responded with an apology,to which the teacher(who was probably tired or just fed up with his students said according to the other 6 class mates) responded …”you are nothing but a f*%k up! All you do is cause trouble!” My son responded “f-you”; and went inside, where moments later he was arrested. My son didn’t come home again for almost 3 years. He was allowed to discontinue his meds, leading to a constant state of mental crisis, and 4 hospitilaztion while in custody for suicide attempts.
Previously in the school year I was called to the school by a police officer(on a thursday) who had been called out to arrest my son off the school bus for spraying on AXE body spray. The officer told me infront of the Principal and bus driver who all were in the principals office by the time I arrived, that the most he could do was issue a citation and even that would not hold water. The officer explained that spraying body spray was not a crime, and he is not sure why they would treat him the way they were before my arrival. The officer further told me in confidence outside clearly they dis like my son and to get him out of there, and the next monday my son was gone.
Needless to say I know homeschool my son, but he longs to be in school again, but unlike MS, or other physical disabilities; mental illness is invisble and most officials if you can not see it, it isn’t real! They believe the person needs a firm hand and they will stop. The teacher at the center of all of this once told me if I just disciplined my son more, he would stop hallucinating. I said ” are you serious?” This has been ongoing since he was 5 years old and he has two paternal relatives we have discovered with the same disorder but you think a good whack should fix it!
I really hate the way these kids get treated… they have a better chance at rehabilitation, yet there are no bonds and stiffer sentencing for them than adults????

By: Pacific Views: Shaquanda Cotton Freed

Pacific Views: Shaquanda Cotton Freed — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 18:41:01 +0000

[...] And she was a sock smuggler, too. So I can see why authorities were concerned. Nonetheless, considering that her sentence may have been partly motivated by dislike of the girl’s uppity mother, it seems hardly fair. Perhaps they should have jailed her mother, instead. Jayzus. [...]

By: Myca

Myca — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:10:48 +0000

Well thank freaking god. This can’t possibly come soon enough.

As I’ve noted elsewhere, the ongoing double standard when it comes to teenagers sickens me. The idea that teenagers are children when they want their basic human rights or they want to have sex with someone, but (WHOOPS!) they’re adults when we want to toss them in jail for a decade or more speaks to a deep dysfunction in our country.

—Myca

By: Sailorman

Sailorman — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:32:55 +0000

well, THAT’S an improvement.

nice.

(not “nice” because it should be a problem in the first place, but “nice” in that it’s being fixed.)

By: aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

[O]fficials at the Ron Jackson Correctional Complex have repeatedly extended Shaquanda’s sentence because she refuses to admit her guilt and because she was found with contraband in her cell–an extra pair of socks. Via Alas, a blog.

By: fawnapril

fawnapril — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

worse

By: IST Control Center

IST Control Center — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

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