Ronald E. Byrd
The number of teen-agers who are incarcerated is growing at an alarming rate. Some reports indicate that most serious crimes are committed by youths between the ages of 15 and 19. Only recently, a fourteen-year old boy was arrested for operating as a “hit-man.” When he was arrested, he had a “hit list” in his possession. At the present time correctional institutions are filled; there are more people in prison than any other time in American history. In New Haven, Connecticut, it costs over $2,000 a year to educate a student; but to incarcerate him costs over $10,000 a year.
The question is: “What can be done?” What can we do as teachers and counselors to help discourage our students from a life of crime? What can we do to stop him or her from committing that very first criminal act? The purpose of this unit is to begin to provide some answers to these questions. Judging from my experience, I feel that the sooner we confront our students with literature, talks, and workshops about decision-making, the better. We can at least show them how it is to become trapped in a situation they did not anticipate would lead them to prison.
