No Matter How Loud I Shout

In Gila County, AZ, in 1964, 15-year-old Gerald Gault and his friend made a lewd phone call to a neighbor. The sheriff took Gault to jail without explaining his rights or informing his parents where he was, and the judge subsequently forced Gerald to testify before proclaiming him to be a juvenile delinquent and habitually immoral, sentencing Gerald to Arizona’s juvenile prison for up to six years: “Gerald had no attorney to represent him at this hearing, nor was he permitted to have one. He was presumed guilty, not innocent, from the moment he sat down on the hard wooden chair reserved for him in the judge’s chamber” (24). The lack of consideration for Gault’s civil rights led to the Supreme Court Decision In Re Gault, which asserted that children must be proven guilty and afforded the same rights and concessions as adults facing trial, forever altering the juvenile court system.

In LA County in 1994, 16-year-old Richard Perez, aka Shorty, was tried for murder after years of stealing cars, skipping school, and delinquent behavior. Humes discusses the idea that felonies—such as car theft—are the only way for kids to get into the system, and by then it is usually too late for them to be rehabilitated, and their cases are often dismissed or not afforded adequate attention due to the prevalence of more violent crimes.