Locked in the System: A Call for Solutions

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Imagine being 15 years old, handcuffed, and sitting in a detention cell with no idea what comes next. For Emma (not her real name), this became her reality—not once, but eight times. Her journey from childhood trauma through addiction and into the juvenile justice system reveals how quickly vulnerable youth can spiral when their basic needs go unmet.

"You don't know how you're going to respond to somebody spitting in your face until somebody spits in your face," says Charles Parkins, reflecting on what detention staff sometimes encounter. As program director at the Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center, Parkins has spent nearly three decades wrestling with a profound question: How do we help troubled kids without causing more harm?

This episode explores juvenile detention facilities, where staffing shortages and solitary confinement can create environments that might worsen the very problems they aim to solve. We hear from Brooke Digby, Arkansas's juvenile ombudsman, who advocates for therapeutic approaches over punishment, especially recognizing that for many youth, criminal behavior stems from survival instincts in impossible circumstances.

What emerges is a call for rethinking—prevention over detention when possible, community support over isolation, and investing in the adults who shape children's lives. As Parkins puts it, "This is a social problem, not a criminal justice problem." The solution lies in building stronger support systems for families before crises occur.

Audio-only episode:

Also from Season 4: