Why is it so hard to care about people in jail? Because we don’t think of them as PEOPLE. Is it sad that John Oliver has to use his comedy show to shed light on this serious issue?
From the Equal Justice Initiative: “Across the United States, thousands of children have been sentenced as adults and sent to adult prisons. Nearly 3000 nationwide have been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Children as young as 13 years old have been tried as adults and sentenced to die in prison, typically without any consideration of their age or circumstances of the offense. Many young children in America are imperiled by abuse, neglect, domestic and community violence, and poverty. Without effective intervention and help, these children suffer, struggle, and fall into despair and hopelessness. Some young teens cannot manage the emotional, social, and psychological challenges of adolescence and eventually engage in destructive and violent behavior.”
How do we help these kids? We put them in jails where the abuse continues and any chances for rehabilitation disappear.