Inside the Juvenile Detention Center
Amy Cheney -- School Library Journal, 6/17/2009
The Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center houses approximately 250 inner-city youth, the majority of whom are African American and Latino, with a small percentage of Asians, Caucasians, and Native Americans. There are about 200 boys and 50 girls, ranging in age from 9 to 18 with the bulk of kids on the older end of the scal
e.The average reading level is fifth grade. The average stay is two to four weeks, and many kids are repeat visitors. Many of them have been abused or neglected and have been removed from foster homes and sent to group homes. Often, they run away or commit crimes, such as stealing, and end up coming back to the Hall, as the juvenile facility is called. Sometimes these kids also end up being incarcerated because of outstanding warrants and some of them can be detained for a long time. It's not a great system, but it’s a great thing that we can at least provide them with books.
Alameda County Library, in partnership with the Alameda County Office of Education and Alameda County Probation Department, has provided library services to youth behind bars since 1999. School and public librarians, as well as various groups, often ask me for advice on how to develop programs and services for these kids. My suggestion is to start small. Many of these kids have been promised a lot of things, and unless you can deliver, you’re just going to be another disappointment in their lives. Also, working in a detention setting is full of challenges, and there’s a lot to learn. Alameda County Library started by serving girls out of a tiny shared space using only rolling book carts. I was allotted just 18.5 hours a week to work on this project (great in theory!).
As a “big picture” person, I soon learned that fluctuating funding is another good reason to start small. You need to be able to know how to adapt to the ever shifting environment both inside and outside the Hall in order to provide services. The core needs of these detained and incarcerated youth are immediacy, access, ownership, and respect. The library resources and services we offer are always designed to address these needs. A colleague and I created the accompanying video totally on the fly. Hopefully, it’ll get you inspired to reach out to incarcerated youth. Feel free to email me or give me a call (510-667-4347)—these kids need you!- Amy Cheney, Librarian at Alameda County Library Juvenile Hall
