0:00:00.705,0:00:03.122
(horn music)

0:00:05.148,0:00:06.842
>> Meet the kids next door

0:00:06.842,0:00:09.766
(doors slam)

0:00:09.766,0:00:12.594
who are now behind bars.

0:00:12.594,0:00:16.131
>> I assaulted someone with a knife.

0:00:16.131,0:00:20.033
>> Baby-faced kids with[br]adult-sized wrap sheets.

0:00:20.033,0:00:23.294
Call it brat camp in[br]the extreme, except this

0:00:23.294,0:00:25.834
one's got separation cells and kids

0:00:25.834,0:00:28.167
under constant surveillance.

0:00:29.847,0:00:33.040
For the first time,[br]cameras have been let in.

0:00:33.040,0:00:34.827
Tonight, you'll see a private world

0:00:34.827,0:00:35.910
of sexuality.

0:00:37.860,0:00:39.600
>> That's the thing here,[br]I'm gay for the stay.

0:00:39.600,0:00:41.119
That' the motto here.

0:00:41.119,0:00:43.295
>> Was your pregnancy[br]kind of off limits, now?

0:00:43.295,0:00:44.503
>> No.

0:00:44.503,0:00:46.287
>> Change.

0:00:46.287,0:00:47.454
Who loves you?

0:00:48.895,0:00:50.145
>> I don't know.

0:00:51.056,0:00:52.928
>> Do you love you?

0:00:52.928,0:00:53.761
>> No.

0:00:54.670,0:00:56.951
>> And a secret so painful

0:00:56.951,0:00:59.738
she can barely say it out loud.

0:00:59.738,0:01:01.773
>> I'm not going to tell[br]you, so might as well

0:01:01.773,0:01:03.258
just give up on trying to guess.

0:01:03.258,0:01:06.077
>> But in the strangest of places,

0:01:06.077,0:01:08.356
you'll also see hope.

0:01:08.356,0:01:09.974
>> I want to make something of myself.

0:01:09.974,0:01:12.341
>> Tonight, an update.

0:01:12.341,0:01:13.813
Where they are now.

0:01:13.813,0:01:16.313
The Lost Children Behind Bars.

0:01:18.738,0:01:20.488
And now, Chris Cuomo.

0:01:22.411,0:01:23.598
>> Welcome.

0:01:23.598,0:01:26.536
Tonight, I'm outside New York's[br]notorious Rikers Island Jail

0:01:26.536,0:01:29.040
and these foreboding signs say it all.

0:01:29.040,0:01:31.607
This is the kind of place the[br]kids you are about to meet

0:01:31.607,0:01:34.125
could wind up, that is, if[br]their juvenile corrections

0:01:34.125,0:01:36.511
experience doesn't set them straight.

0:01:36.511,0:01:38.439
Cameras are rarely allows inside

0:01:38.439,0:01:40.225
the facilities you'll visit.

0:01:40.225,0:01:42.223
Now they may be called[br]schools, but they share a lot

0:01:42.223,0:01:44.475
in common with adult prisons.

0:01:44.475,0:01:46.907
And yet, these places in[br]Arizona you're about to enter

0:01:46.907,0:01:49.938
may be the last and best[br]chance for kids there.

0:01:49.938,0:01:52.103
So come and meet some kids who look like

0:01:52.103,0:01:53.901
they could be growing up on your street,

0:01:53.901,0:01:56.203
or even in your house.

0:01:56.203,0:01:58.773
How did they end up behind barbed wire?

0:01:58.773,0:02:01.211
For some, the corrections experience

0:02:01.211,0:02:02.446
could be a new beginning.

0:02:02.446,0:02:05.330
For others, it could be[br]the beginning of the end.

0:02:05.330,0:02:08.426
(woman mutters)

0:02:08.426,0:02:09.527
>> Pull them up.

0:02:09.527,0:02:11.168
Pull them up!

0:02:11.168,0:02:12.151
>> I'm Zar.

0:02:12.151,0:02:15.685
13, was charged in a drive-by shooting.

0:02:15.685,0:02:17.790
>> Where's your canteen?

0:02:17.790,0:02:18.789
>> They did not give it to me.

0:02:18.789,0:02:19.789
>> Why?[br]>> I don't know.

0:02:19.789,0:02:20.788
My name is Ashley, I'm 16.

0:02:20.788,0:02:23.787
I was charged with disorderly conduct.

0:02:23.787,0:02:26.044
>> My name is Jesse, age 17.

0:02:26.044,0:02:30.419
Committed offense,[br]manslaughter, felony two.

0:02:30.419,0:02:34.336
>> My name is Jerilyn,[br]I'm 17 and I am here for,

0:02:36.531,0:02:37.364
wait.

0:02:43.701,0:02:45.606
>> I'll close the door.

0:02:45.606,0:02:46.439
Oh, okay.

0:02:48.224,0:02:51.431
>> These kids start out like any child,

0:02:51.431,0:02:54.114
bright, loving, wanting to please.

0:02:54.114,0:02:58.090
But somewhere along the[br]line, something goes wrong.

0:02:58.090,0:03:00.137
But as you'll see, there's more to them

0:03:00.137,0:03:02.543
than meets the eye.

0:03:02.543,0:03:05.305
100,000 kids like this[br]are currently locked up

0:03:05.305,0:03:07.573
somewhere in the United States.

0:03:07.573,0:03:09.395
>> You're not going to (mutters), are you?

0:03:09.395,0:03:10.496
>> No.

0:03:10.496,0:03:11.975
>> All in their teens, many nearing 18.

0:03:11.975,0:03:16.142
For these kids, this is the[br]last stop and their last chance.

0:03:17.842,0:03:21.742
Welcome to Arizona's Department[br]of Juvenile Corrections.

0:03:21.742,0:03:24.575
The bleak surroundings say it all.

0:03:26.407,0:03:28.679
The routine is like any jail.

0:03:28.679,0:03:30.643
Background checks, metal detectors,

0:03:30.643,0:03:32.555
tension in the air.

0:03:32.555,0:03:34.369
>> If you can't handle[br]it, you will be (mutters).

0:03:34.369,0:03:35.723
>> That's why I told you guys.

0:03:35.723,0:03:38.456
>> 300 boys at the Adobe Mountain School,

0:03:38.456,0:03:41.519
80 girls across the yard[br]at the Black Canyon School

0:03:41.519,0:03:44.240
and just as many stories.

0:03:44.240,0:03:47.128
Primetime spent nearly 6[br]months following several kids

0:03:47.128,0:03:50.082
as they wound their way in and out

0:03:50.082,0:03:53.672
of what are called Arizona's safe schools.

0:03:53.672,0:03:56.521
High security to keep the kids safe inside

0:03:56.521,0:03:59.427
and also, to keep them from getting out.

0:03:59.427,0:04:03.240
Even though there is razor[br]wire, pat downs, and cell doors,

0:04:03.240,0:04:06.579
there is opportunity here, even hope.

0:04:06.579,0:04:08.434
>> Good morning, classroom.

0:04:08.434,0:04:09.535
>> Good morning, Jeff.

0:04:09.535,0:04:11.824
>> The average stay here is 6 months.

0:04:11.824,0:04:14.405
Staff struggle daily with[br]the question of whether a kid

0:04:14.405,0:04:15.793
can be fixed.

0:04:15.793,0:04:18.803
Kids who do bad things, often[br]for reasons that are tough

0:04:18.803,0:04:20.087
to understand.

0:04:20.087,0:04:22.087
Kids like Conrad.

0:04:22.087,0:04:24.670
(upbeat music)

0:04:30.768,0:04:31.767
>> What's that, don't like the way I work?

0:04:31.767,0:04:33.676
Because I'm really hyper?

0:04:33.676,0:04:35.110
>> My name is Connor.

0:04:35.110,0:04:36.410
I'm 16.

0:04:36.410,0:04:39.001
I was found with possession[br]of paraphernalia.

0:04:39.001,0:04:41.174
>> The average kid in[br]here has been arrested

0:04:41.174,0:04:44.455
eight times and Conrad is no exception.

0:04:44.455,0:04:46.771
On the surface, he looks like a cute kid,

0:04:46.771,0:04:49.362
like Opie from Mayberry, but he isn't.

0:04:49.362,0:04:52.413
What's the worst thing you've ever done?

0:04:52.413,0:04:55.660
>> Oh, I assaulted someone with a knife.

0:04:55.660,0:04:58.057
He made me mad, so I hurt him.

0:04:58.057,0:05:01.265
>> Conrad came here just under 70 pounds,

0:05:01.265,0:05:03.802
and the boy's wrap sheet[br]is taller than he is.

0:05:03.802,0:05:06.809
He's been banned from all[br]the mainstream schools

0:05:06.809,0:05:10.112
in the state of Arizona[br]because of numerous fights,

0:05:10.112,0:05:13.704
thefts, weapon's charges,[br]drugs, and alcohol.

0:05:13.704,0:05:16.270
What the record leaves out,[br]though, is the most important

0:05:16.270,0:05:18.216
question with all the kids here, why?

0:05:18.216,0:05:21.999
>> I got hooked on drugs,[br]doing drugs with my mom.

0:05:21.999,0:05:24.838
I came back out here and[br]they just tore my life up.

0:05:24.838,0:05:27.820
I grew up being abused[br]physically and emotionally

0:05:27.820,0:05:30.452
and mentally abused by my mom.

0:05:30.452,0:05:34.276
And now, ever since I came[br]out to Arizona, I've been

0:05:34.276,0:05:36.223
a very angry, angry kid.

0:05:36.223,0:05:39.442
>> Many kids make[br]claims, but state records

0:05:39.442,0:05:42.689
show Conrad's mother plead[br]no contest to child cruelty

0:05:42.689,0:05:45.311
and Conrad was taken into state custody

0:05:45.311,0:05:47.982
for stints when just a child.

0:05:47.982,0:05:52.526
Conrad says he wants to[br]change, but feels he can't.

0:05:52.526,0:05:55.802
And as you'll see later, there[br]may be a reason for that.

0:05:55.802,0:05:58.549
>> I'm a good person, I[br]just make bad choices.

0:05:58.549,0:06:00.311
>> Stand by your doors please, ladies.

0:06:00.311,0:06:03.219
>> This is a state facility for girls

0:06:03.219,0:06:05.306
in the state of Arizona.

0:06:05.306,0:06:07.935
>> The girls are housed across campus.

0:06:07.935,0:06:10.416
According to Suzanne LaRoux,[br]their superintendent,

0:06:10.416,0:06:12.784
they present unique challenges.

0:06:12.784,0:06:14.833
>> Our girls here, they're survivors,

0:06:14.833,0:06:17.297
just a lot of, you know,

0:06:17.297,0:06:19.657
family abuse, incest, molestation,

0:06:19.657,0:06:23.138
drug abuse, parents are[br]not available to them.

0:06:23.138,0:06:25.243
Parents are locked up themselves.

0:06:25.243,0:06:26.601
These are children.

0:06:26.601,0:06:27.809
>> For what?

0:06:27.809,0:06:28.902
I'm not eating (mutters).

0:06:28.902,0:06:30.075
>> You're going to practice.

0:06:30.075,0:06:32.708
>> Ashley is the face of an angry child.

0:06:32.708,0:06:35.491
Her fury greets all who come near,

0:06:35.491,0:06:39.597
but in reality, Ashley's anger[br]is the flip side of pain.

0:06:39.597,0:06:41.411
(loud knocking)

0:06:41.411,0:06:46.057
On this morning, Ashley[br]cuts her head on her bunk

0:06:46.057,0:06:48.930
waking up, but she fights[br]any medical treatment.

0:06:48.930,0:06:51.063
>> You may need a little[br]stitches in there.

0:06:51.063,0:06:52.181
>> I am not getting stitches.[br]>> All right.

0:06:52.181,0:06:53.604
>> Hell no!

0:06:53.604,0:06:55.222
>> You seem very angry.

0:06:55.222,0:06:56.543
>> Yeah.

0:06:56.543,0:06:57.997
>> So what's it like inside there, dealing

0:06:57.997,0:06:59.580
with all the anger?

0:07:00.556,0:07:02.300
>> I'm like a time bomb.

0:07:02.300,0:07:05.497
>> Like many here, it almost seems as if

0:07:05.497,0:07:08.014
Ashley were born into pain.

0:07:08.014,0:07:11.476
96% of the kids have[br]substance abuse problems.

0:07:11.476,0:07:14.811
60% have criminal[br]histories in their family.

0:07:14.811,0:07:17.454
Both are true for this teen.

0:07:17.454,0:07:21.277
>> My dad was smoking[br]meth and smoking weed

0:07:21.277,0:07:24.033
and he'd just leave it laying around

0:07:24.033,0:07:25.839
and it was there, and[br]I was like, "Screw it,

0:07:25.839,0:07:26.914
"I'm going to get high."

0:07:26.914,0:07:29.276
>> Still worse, Ashley[br]claims she was molested.

0:07:29.276,0:07:32.265
She won't say by whom, but[br]she says this drove her

0:07:32.265,0:07:35.493
delinquency, fighting and skipping school.

0:07:35.493,0:07:37.379
How often were you getting in trouble

0:07:37.379,0:07:39.065
at your peak of performance?

0:07:39.065,0:07:40.673
>> Every day.

0:07:40.673,0:07:42.590
I'd steal or I'd fight.

0:07:43.835,0:07:46.530
I'd have the cops called on my every day.

0:07:46.530,0:07:49.260
>> Ashley is filled[br]with intense self-hate.

0:07:49.260,0:07:51.702
She's being treated with a mix of therapy

0:07:51.702,0:07:53.260
and antidepressants.

0:07:53.260,0:07:55.655
Throughout her life, she's[br]tried to kill herself

0:07:55.655,0:07:57.131
seven times.

0:07:57.131,0:08:00.289
>> A lot of the times, I did[br]it because I wanted to die,

0:08:00.289,0:08:02.122
but I did it sometimes

0:08:02.999,0:08:05.423
just because I wanted to[br]see how far I could go

0:08:05.423,0:08:07.775
before I actually sent[br]myself to the hospital.

0:08:07.775,0:08:09.918
>> She's playing a dangerous game

0:08:09.918,0:08:11.853
to get the attention of her mother,

0:08:11.853,0:08:14.234
the person who she said[br]has hurt her the most

0:08:14.234,0:08:17.517
and yet, whose love she most craves.

0:08:17.517,0:08:20.704
There are daily group[br]sessions like this here,

0:08:20.704,0:08:23.770
allowing kids to open up[br]and see they're not alone

0:08:23.770,0:08:25.257
as victims.

0:08:25.257,0:08:27.275
>> Being here, it gives[br]me someone to talk to,

0:08:27.275,0:08:30.102
like councilors, psyches,

0:08:30.102,0:08:34.019
and if I was on the outs,[br]I wouldn't have that.

0:08:35.211,0:08:38.806
>> Ashley has taken to writing pain away,

0:08:38.806,0:08:41.243
especially in letters to mom.

0:08:41.243,0:08:44.025
>> I told her that I hated her

0:08:44.025,0:08:45.607
and I could care less

0:08:45.607,0:08:47.104
what happened to her,

0:08:47.104,0:08:49.248
and she's not my mother,[br]she's just the person

0:08:49.248,0:08:51.244
that gave birth to me.

0:08:51.244,0:08:53.053
>> Who loves you?

0:08:53.053,0:08:54.303
>> I don't know.

0:08:55.145,0:08:57.148
So many people in my family have told me

0:08:57.148,0:08:59.492
that they hate me and they[br]don't want me around them.

0:08:59.492,0:09:03.092
It's just, even when they[br]do tell me they love me,

0:09:03.092,0:09:05.592
I find it hard to believe, so.

0:09:06.835,0:09:09.283
>> Do you love you?

0:09:09.283,0:09:10.116
>> No.

0:09:14.333,0:09:17.003
(tense music)

0:09:17.003,0:09:18.370
>> Up next,

0:09:18.370,0:09:19.943
a trip to the most dangerous unit

0:09:19.943,0:09:21.746
in juvenile jail.

0:09:21.746,0:09:23.333
>> I can see why you'd be[br]anxious to get out of this place.

0:09:23.333,0:09:24.652
(Jesse laughs)

0:09:24.652,0:09:25.674
No offense.

0:09:25.674,0:09:27.053
>> Our guide, the teenage killer

0:09:27.053,0:09:29.731
in the cell nextdoor[br]and his chilling story

0:09:29.731,0:09:30.876
(gun fires)

0:09:30.876,0:09:31.874
of how he got there

0:09:31.874,0:09:35.457
when The Lost Children[br]Behind Bars returns.

0:09:40.474,0:09:42.625
Primetime returns.

0:09:42.625,0:09:43.922
Once again, Chris Cuomo.

0:09:43.922,0:09:46.825
(electric guitar music)

0:09:46.825,0:09:47.658
>> Arizona Juvenile[br]Correction system is set up

0:09:47.658,0:09:50.944
to be part prison, part school.

0:09:50.944,0:09:52.782
>> Good morning, sir!

0:09:52.782,0:09:54.723
>> You want to be powerful,[br]no physical contact.

0:09:54.723,0:09:56.258
>> You could be here for two years,

0:09:56.258,0:09:57.716
you could be here

0:09:57.716,0:09:59.155
for three months, it's on you.

0:09:59.155,0:10:01.098
>> It's a pretty place during the day,

0:10:01.098,0:10:03.732
but pretty formidable at night.

0:10:03.732,0:10:06.301
(electric guitar music)

0:10:06.301,0:10:09.788
A feeling that comes quickly[br]when you're on the inside.

0:10:09.788,0:10:11.441
>> I'll show you where[br]you're going to stay tonight.

0:10:11.441,0:10:14.325
>> My home with the boys is Crossroads,

0:10:14.325,0:10:17.158
the unit for violent offenders.

0:10:17.158,0:10:21.606
Next to the cell I'll[br]experience is 17-year-old Jesse.

0:10:21.606,0:10:25.255
>> You got two blankets, two sheets,

0:10:25.255,0:10:26.924
your state shirt, state shorts,[br]state pants, state socks.

0:10:26.924,0:10:30.331
>> I can see why you'd be[br]anxious to get out of this place.

0:10:30.331,0:10:31.801
(Jesse laughs)[br]>> No offense,

0:10:31.801,0:10:32.840
Mr. Superintendent.

0:10:32.840,0:10:37.117
Many here regard Jesse as the[br]school's real success story.

0:10:37.117,0:10:38.974
>> This is when the governor came.

0:10:38.974,0:10:41.572
I was the president of the[br]student council at the time.

0:10:41.572,0:10:43.106
This is some of my members.

0:10:43.106,0:10:44.892
(siren wails)

0:10:44.892,0:10:48.210
>> But Jesse has also[br]been here the longest.

0:10:48.210,0:10:52.517
Since he was 15 with a[br]horrific act in his past.

0:10:52.517,0:10:55.107
What was the scariest moment for you?

0:10:55.107,0:10:57.274
>> The night I shot Alexis.

0:11:00.383,0:11:03.430
(man speaks)

0:11:03.430,0:11:05.367
>> Jesse's older brother[br]was hosting a party

0:11:05.367,0:11:09.554
and Jesse's buddy, 19-year-old[br]Alexis Acosta was there.

0:11:09.554,0:11:13.095
For some reason, Jesse says[br]he wanted to impress Alexis,

0:11:13.095,0:11:16.012
so he went to his brother's closet.

0:11:19.531,0:11:21.202
>> I just turned, cocked it, and fired.

0:11:21.202,0:11:23.574
>> Jesse said he grabbed what he thought

0:11:23.574,0:11:25.141
was an unloaded shotgun.

0:11:25.141,0:11:26.645
(gun fires)

0:11:26.645,0:11:29.193
>> I expected to hear a[br]click and then show it off

0:11:29.193,0:11:31.371
as a cool little thing,

0:11:31.371,0:11:32.288
but it was,

0:11:33.222,0:11:34.263
it was loaded.

0:11:34.263,0:11:36.838
>> Were you in complete[br]control of your faculties?

0:11:36.838,0:11:37.851
>> Yes, I was.

0:11:37.851,0:11:39.055
I wasn't drunk or anything.

0:11:39.055,0:11:41.130
They gave me a Breathalyzer test onsite.

0:11:41.130,0:11:43.547
(man speaks)

0:11:45.058,0:11:49.029
>> Jesse swears it was[br]all a terrible mistake

0:11:49.029,0:11:50.452
and the judge agreed.

0:11:50.452,0:11:53.284
That's why he wasn't tried[br]as an adult for murder.

0:11:53.284,0:11:56.201
>> There is no bringing Alexis back.

0:11:57.082,0:11:59.196
He has been added to[br]my motivation to become

0:11:59.196,0:12:02.525
a greater person so I can look up one day

0:12:02.525,0:12:04.762
and say, "Alexis, this is for you.

0:12:04.762,0:12:06.463
"I did this for you."

0:12:06.463,0:12:08.833
(percussive music)

0:12:08.833,0:12:10.887
>> He spent some time, shot hoops

0:12:10.887,0:12:12.147
before lights out,

0:12:12.147,0:12:14.977
and activity that allows[br]kids supervised play

0:12:14.977,0:12:17.844
to see if they're learning to get along.

0:12:17.844,0:12:20.966
Then we joked about my old-school skills.

0:12:20.966,0:12:22.400
Last second, I pulled it back,

0:12:22.400,0:12:24.933
acquiring even more athleticism.

0:12:24.933,0:12:26.363
>> Very true.

0:12:26.363,0:12:28.621
>> It's interesting to meet[br]a kid who has killed someone

0:12:28.621,0:12:30.977
while at the same time,

0:12:30.977,0:12:33.060
seems like the ideal son.

0:12:34.266,0:12:38.091
So the boys here in Crossroads Unit,

0:12:38.091,0:12:39.241
(boys sing)

0:12:39.241,0:12:41.725
which is the violent offenders welcome me

0:12:41.725,0:12:44.892
by making noise here after lights out.

0:12:45.819,0:12:47.242
It's 5:45 a.m.

0:12:47.242,0:12:49.316
I had a miserable night,[br]thanks to my cement bed

0:12:49.316,0:12:52.688
and constant bed checks[br]by flashlight happy guards

0:12:52.688,0:12:56.644
who say a kid can kill[br]himself in just minutes.

0:12:56.644,0:12:59.663
A lesson they learned the hard way.

0:12:59.663,0:13:02.806
Just two years ago, three[br]kids committed suicide

0:13:02.806,0:13:05.290
right here in the space of several months.

0:13:05.290,0:13:07.705
Federal investigators[br]found widespread sexual

0:13:07.705,0:13:10.921
and physical abuse[br]throughout both the boys

0:13:10.921,0:13:14.407
and girls schools, so in[br]Arizona, there are new people

0:13:14.407,0:13:16.536
in charge and a new mandate,

0:13:16.536,0:13:20.599
treat these kids like kids,[br]not hardened criminals.

0:13:20.599,0:13:23.465
>> Do you believe that[br]corrections with respect

0:13:23.465,0:13:25.886
to juveniles is where you want it to be?

0:13:25.886,0:13:27.866
>> No, but we're on the right track.

0:13:27.866,0:13:29.860
>> Last year, Arizona's governor

0:13:29.860,0:13:31.808
cleaned house and[br]appointed 30-year veteran

0:13:31.808,0:13:33.852
Mike Brannon to oversee a massive overhaul

0:13:33.852,0:13:37.171
of the state's juvenile[br]corrections system.

0:13:37.171,0:13:39.152
>> We make sure that the[br]kids can't hurt themselves

0:13:39.152,0:13:40.830
and hurt other people while we figure out

0:13:40.830,0:13:43.199
how to reach inside and[br]help that child deal with

0:13:43.199,0:13:45.699
whatever it is that's his or hers issues.

0:13:45.699,0:13:47.908
We can and do make a[br]difference in the kids who can

0:13:47.908,0:13:49.330
and will change.

0:13:49.330,0:13:51.809
>> Maybe the biggest[br]difference between a prison

0:13:51.809,0:13:53.590
and one of these schools deals[br]with what happens in here.

0:13:53.590,0:13:55.277
In jail, this would be called the cell

0:13:55.277,0:13:57.965
and you'd spend between 20[br]and 23 hours a day in here

0:13:57.965,0:14:00.325
being punished, confined.

0:14:00.325,0:14:02.600
This place works on the opposite idea.

0:14:02.600,0:14:07.186
It is all about incarceration[br]without confinement.

0:14:07.186,0:14:09.201
>> Tell me this, why would[br]I pick desert regions

0:14:09.201,0:14:10.608
for us to paint?

0:14:10.608,0:14:11.831
>> Because we live in the desert?

0:14:11.831,0:14:12.791
>> Amen, bro.

0:14:12.791,0:14:13.812
Okay, good job.

0:14:13.812,0:14:15.700
>> One of the unique ways this schools

0:14:15.700,0:14:17.954
reaches these kids is[br]its teaching methods.

0:14:17.954,0:14:20.509
>> All right, I just want[br]to talk about elevation

0:14:20.509,0:14:22.300
and latitude.

0:14:22.300,0:14:25.812
>> For teenage boys, math[br]is taught using cards.

0:14:25.812,0:14:27.377
>> So it's one whole!

0:14:27.377,0:14:29.368
>> Most of these kids have grown up

0:14:29.368,0:14:31.306
being embarrassed by learning disabilities

0:14:31.306,0:14:33.115
and poor performance at school.

0:14:33.115,0:14:34.451
>> There you go.

0:14:34.451,0:14:35.669
>> This guy's a good teacher.

0:14:35.669,0:14:38.172
>> So with kids like Conrad, education

0:14:38.172,0:14:40.399
is all about confidence.

0:14:40.399,0:14:44.316
>> The staff, they don't[br]treat me like I'm crap.

0:14:45.298,0:14:46.935
>> My name's Casey.

0:14:46.935,0:14:48.324
I'm 16 years old.

0:14:48.324,0:14:50.961
My charges were possession of mariajuana,

0:14:50.961,0:14:54.269
paraphernalia and aggravated assault

0:14:54.269,0:14:56.519
and violation of probation.

0:14:57.772,0:14:58.689
That's all.

0:14:59.604,0:15:01.850
>> Over at the girl's facility,

0:15:01.850,0:15:04.131
16-year-old Casey is[br]preparing for a very different

0:15:04.131,0:15:05.631
type of education.

0:15:06.784,0:15:09.635
She is seven months pregnant when we meet,

0:15:09.635,0:15:12.871
a child about to have a child.

0:15:12.871,0:15:15.406
Behind the smile and the belly,

0:15:15.406,0:15:17.789
a thief who looked for trouble.

0:15:17.789,0:15:20.292
>> Everybody thought I[br]was so innocent and sweet.

0:15:20.292,0:15:21.649
"Oh, look at her.

0:15:21.649,0:15:22.650
"She's so cute."

0:15:22.650,0:15:23.715
And I just look at them[br]like, "Yeah, you better

0:15:23.715,0:15:24.891
watch your stuff, you know?"

0:15:24.891,0:15:27.427
>> Casey's record show[br]abuse by her convict father

0:15:27.427,0:15:28.959
and years in protective custody.

0:15:28.959,0:15:31.238
And although the father of her baby

0:15:31.238,0:15:33.964
is a teenager too, somehow Casey sees this

0:15:33.964,0:15:36.216
as a chance for a new beginning.

0:15:36.216,0:15:39.067
>> If I wasn't pregnant,[br]I would be fighting.

0:15:39.067,0:15:40.155
I wouldn't care.

0:15:40.155,0:15:41.411
I would not care,

0:15:41.411,0:15:43.848
but now I actually care and I need to do

0:15:43.848,0:15:45.237
what I need to do, and[br]I'm going to get out

0:15:45.237,0:15:46.613
and I'm going to be a good mom.

0:15:46.613,0:15:50.014
>> But until she gets out,[br]Casey will have to deal

0:15:50.014,0:15:52.737
with life on the inside,[br]which can be stressful

0:15:52.737,0:15:54.570
in more ways than one.

0:15:57.012,0:16:00.125
>> Up next, the rules of attraction.

0:16:00.125,0:16:02.012
>> Please be appropriate in there.

0:16:02.012,0:16:03.903
>> When kids are desperate for any kind

0:16:03.903,0:16:05.341
of love and affection.

0:16:05.341,0:16:06.865
>> And they bet their snacks.

0:16:06.865,0:16:08.792
"Oh, I'll turn her gay,[br]I'll turn her gay,"

0:16:08.792,0:16:10.337
and it's a game to them.

0:16:10.337,0:16:14.504
>> When the Lost Children[br]Behind Bars returns.

0:16:18.328,0:16:21.136
We continue with the Lost[br]Children Behind Bars.

0:16:21.136,0:16:23.175
Now, Christ Cuomo.

0:16:23.175,0:16:25.133
>> Come on, ladies.

0:16:25.133,0:16:26.359
You guys should be up and ready.

0:16:26.359,0:16:27.645
>> Come on Flora, Ashley, let's go!

0:16:27.645,0:16:30.548
>> Juvenile correction isn't just about

0:16:30.548,0:16:31.940
controlling violence.

0:16:31.940,0:16:33.287
>> Take it out quietly.[br]>> No talking.

0:16:33.287,0:16:35.148
>> It's also about controlling emotions.

0:16:35.148,0:16:37.738
A third of the kids[br]here suffer from mental

0:16:37.738,0:16:39.251
or emotional problems.

0:16:39.251,0:16:41.389
Sometimes, they can be[br]treated with medicine,

0:16:41.389,0:16:43.117
sometimes therapy.

0:16:43.117,0:16:45.395
And for the girls who[br]are victims of abuse,

0:16:45.395,0:16:49.056
sometimes they find[br]ways to help each other.

0:16:49.056,0:16:53.365
In the girls' facility, there[br]are 80 teens locked together

0:16:53.365,0:16:54.542
without any boys.

0:16:54.542,0:16:57.037
It's a combustible[br]mixture fraught with peril

0:16:57.037,0:16:59.139
and sometimes, passion.

0:16:59.139,0:17:01.299
>> A lot of the females in here are gay.

0:17:01.299,0:17:03.381
>> They'll have a different[br]girlfriend every week,

0:17:03.381,0:17:04.582
every other day.

0:17:04.582,0:17:05.944
>> And that's something[br]that you think they only do

0:17:05.944,0:17:06.972
because they're here?

0:17:06.972,0:17:07.980
>> Yeah.

0:17:07.980,0:17:10.598
That's the thing here,[br]"I'm gay for the stay."

0:17:10.598,0:17:13.366
>> This behavior is part[br]of life in adult prison,

0:17:13.366,0:17:15.983
but it seems different[br]in the juvenile world.

0:17:15.983,0:17:18.737
Staff at the boy's facility[br]say it's not an issue

0:17:18.737,0:17:20.763
and no boys said otherwise.

0:17:20.763,0:17:23.174
But with the girls at[br]this Arizona facility

0:17:23.174,0:17:25.594
and elsewhere, part of the[br]culture is what they call

0:17:25.594,0:17:27.011
girlfriend drama.

0:17:28.108,0:17:29.119
Girlfriend drama?

0:17:29.119,0:17:30.198
>> Yes.

0:17:30.198,0:17:32.208
A lot of girls get jealous of other girls

0:17:32.208,0:17:33.851
and they want to start a fight.

0:17:33.851,0:17:35.933
>> They'll make comments[br]when you walk by like,

0:17:35.933,0:17:37.054
"Damn, look at that ass."

0:17:37.054,0:17:39.038
>> Officially, it is forbidden.

0:17:39.038,0:17:40.494
>> Please be appropriate in there, okay?

0:17:40.494,0:17:42.277
I don't want any problems.

0:17:42.277,0:17:43.281
No physical contact.

0:17:43.281,0:17:45.097
>> But councilor James Abercrombie

0:17:45.097,0:17:47.516
admits the behavior is[br]a common manifestation

0:17:47.516,0:17:49.492
of emotional neediness.

0:17:49.492,0:17:52.804
>> It's about half of the[br]girls that are in here.

0:17:52.804,0:17:54.304
What I see that is

0:17:55.878,0:17:57.700
is people that have

0:17:57.700,0:18:00.430
a distorted view of[br]what a relationship is.

0:18:00.430,0:18:02.605
>> For some of them, finding a girlfriend

0:18:02.605,0:18:05.745
is creating a kind of substitute family.

0:18:05.745,0:18:09.295
>> The physical, sometimes[br]it makes them feel loved.

0:18:09.295,0:18:11.278
>> None of the girls we spoke to

0:18:11.278,0:18:13.175
said they were part of this subculture,

0:18:13.175,0:18:17.421
but all acknowledged its[br]presence and potential pitfalls.

0:18:17.421,0:18:18.510
Well, you're pregnant,

0:18:18.510,0:18:19.788
so are you kind of off limits now?

0:18:19.788,0:18:20.804
>> No, doesn't matter if you're pregnant,

0:18:20.804,0:18:22.545
doesn't matter anything.

0:18:22.545,0:18:24.017
They're going to try to get you.

0:18:24.017,0:18:25.703
They will try, and try, and try

0:18:25.703,0:18:27.227
until the day you leave.

0:18:27.227,0:18:30.825
(acoustic guitar music)

0:18:30.825,0:18:33.362
>> On this night, I stay[br]in the girl's facility.

0:18:33.362,0:18:34.779
It's now bedtime.

0:18:36.043,0:18:38.780
All the girls have quieted down.

0:18:38.780,0:18:40.853
There was this long[br]ritual of people saying,

0:18:40.853,0:18:44.413
"Goodnight, I love you,[br]goodnight, goodnight."

0:18:44.413,0:18:47.598
They're locked in and monitored constantly

0:18:47.598,0:18:49.286
throughout the night.

0:18:49.286,0:18:52.137
Privacy is not an option in[br]this fragile environment.

0:18:52.137,0:18:55.470
(electric guitar music)

0:18:56.312,0:18:59.744
Back in the boy's section,[br]Conrad is bouncing off the walls.

0:18:59.744,0:19:02.612
He simply cannot control his emotions.

0:19:02.612,0:19:04.881
He was finally diagnosed with bipolar

0:19:04.881,0:19:06.853
and Attention Deficit Disorders,

0:19:06.853,0:19:09.246
and then there was a[br]new form of treatment.

0:19:09.246,0:19:11.111
>> It's a mood stabilizer[br]that they have me on.

0:19:11.111,0:19:13.379
>> The staff has identified[br]an expensive drug

0:19:13.379,0:19:15.805
called Trileptal that[br]shows signs of helping.

0:19:15.805,0:19:20.525
His family says Conrad[br]finally seems under control.

0:19:20.525,0:19:22.358
>> We had a good visit.

0:19:24.190,0:19:25.229
He was real,

0:19:25.229,0:19:27.735
I don't know how to say it.

0:19:27.735,0:19:29.124
>> Nice, gentle.

0:19:29.124,0:19:30.927
>> Gentle, yeah.

0:19:30.927,0:19:33.344
He's calmed down a whole lot.

0:19:34.972,0:19:35.972
The medicine makes a[br]big difference for him.

0:19:35.972,0:19:39.190
>> This is home for Conrad,

0:19:39.190,0:19:41.401
where he'll return when he gets out.

0:19:41.401,0:19:42.814
That's his step-mom.

0:19:42.814,0:19:46.250
Remember, Conrad had major[br]problems with his birth mother.

0:19:46.250,0:19:48.162
Still, even with a more stable home life,

0:19:48.162,0:19:50.061
when Conrad was released previously,

0:19:50.061,0:19:53.291
his parents couldn't afford[br]to keep up his prescription

0:19:53.291,0:19:54.987
and insurance wouldn't pay.

0:19:54.987,0:19:57.102
Conrad quickly spun out of control,

0:19:57.102,0:20:00.620
ending up back in his[br]cell for the third time.

0:20:00.620,0:20:04.953
>> With his medication, I think[br]he can survive in a normal

0:20:04.953,0:20:06.953
lifestyle, but honestly,

0:20:08.016,0:20:09.308
without it, I don't think he can.

0:20:09.308,0:20:11.309
>> We have some kids still in separation.

0:20:11.309,0:20:14.029
>> For Conrad and other kids who often

0:20:14.029,0:20:17.742
cannot control themselves,[br]violence is bound to occur,

0:20:17.742,0:20:20.938
and when it does, the[br]result is separation.

0:20:20.938,0:20:24.901
The closest thing here[br]to solitary confinement.

0:20:24.901,0:20:25.963
>> So with separation,[br]they're going to be here

0:20:25.963,0:20:29.040
because all other[br]interventions haven't worked.

0:20:29.040,0:20:31.062
You went after him because you were angry.

0:20:31.062,0:20:33.706
Nerite Freelander runs the unit.

0:20:33.706,0:20:36.017
It's the last resort[br]when these volatile kids

0:20:36.017,0:20:38.957
are a danger to others or even themselves.

0:20:38.957,0:20:43.360
>> They will do anything they[br]can to self-injurious behavior.

0:20:43.360,0:20:45.387
>> To prevent suicide, the rooms contain

0:20:45.387,0:20:48.113
just a bed and a toilet[br]and kids are often stripped

0:20:48.113,0:20:49.360
of their clothes.

0:20:49.360,0:20:50.947
>> He takes his clothes and rips them off

0:20:50.947,0:20:54.582
and sometimes, he tried to hang[br]himself on the door hinges,

0:20:54.582,0:20:56.286
so the psychologist[br]ordered for his clothes

0:20:56.286,0:20:57.411
to be removed from there.

0:20:57.411,0:20:58.922
>> So you sit here and you[br]watch the kid on the monitor?

0:20:58.922,0:21:00.627
>> We watch kids on the monitor.

0:21:00.627,0:21:02.381
We also watch the kids in the hallways

0:21:02.381,0:21:03.888
because it takes two to[br]five minutes for a youth

0:21:03.888,0:21:05.891
to actually hang themselves.

0:21:05.891,0:21:06.895
Wasn't it the staff that you pushed too?

0:21:06.895,0:21:09.316
>> But separation isn't about isolation

0:21:09.316,0:21:10.315
or punishment.

0:21:10.315,0:21:12.889
Boys and girls are sent there[br]for psychological evaluation

0:21:12.889,0:21:15.144
and to do conflict resolution,

0:21:15.144,0:21:18.060
to teach them how not to be violent.

0:21:18.060,0:21:20.011
>> We're trying to teach them the skills

0:21:20.011,0:21:21.916
to remove themselves instead[br]of going and punching

0:21:21.916,0:21:25.322
Frankie in the face, what could[br]you have done differently?

0:21:25.322,0:21:27.573
Because if you don't teach them the skill,

0:21:27.573,0:21:29.019
they're not going to[br]have it when they get out

0:21:29.019,0:21:30.127
on the outside.

0:21:30.127,0:21:33.418
(acoustic guitar music)

0:21:33.418,0:21:35.467
>> When you got put in three years ago,

0:21:35.467,0:21:38.613
when it all began, who was that person?

0:21:38.613,0:21:41.075
>> Very annoying, rowdy girl.

0:21:41.075,0:21:43.050
I would never listen

0:21:43.050,0:21:45.424
to staff, I was always[br]getting in trouble somehow.

0:21:45.424,0:21:47.930
>> Jerilyn, whose sweetness hides

0:21:47.930,0:21:50.909
a chilling secret has[br]visited separation six times

0:21:50.909,0:21:53.904
for fighting in her facility,

0:21:53.904,0:21:56.157
but non in the past year.

0:21:56.157,0:21:58.077
>> I'm tired of getting in trouble.

0:21:58.077,0:22:00.007
It's time for a change,

0:22:00.007,0:22:01.867
it's time to move on.

0:22:01.867,0:22:03.934
>> She has an extensive[br]record of offenses,

0:22:03.934,0:22:05.962
including trespass, disorderly conduct,

0:22:05.962,0:22:08.641
smoking pot, and habitual truancy.

0:22:08.641,0:22:11.197
But now, after a three-year sentence,

0:22:11.197,0:22:14.564
she's just four days until freedom.

0:22:14.564,0:22:16.342
>> This is your favorite[br]place here, right?

0:22:16.342,0:22:17.912
>> Yeah, it's like my sanctuary.

0:22:17.912,0:22:20.552
I don't know, just being outside in nature

0:22:20.552,0:22:22.548
and taking care of something that grows

0:22:22.548,0:22:24.754
and I just love it.

0:22:24.754,0:22:27.023
>> Yesterday, you said[br]that you kind of saw

0:22:27.023,0:22:28.930
yourself going through a[br]transformation like a plant

0:22:28.930,0:22:31.390
since you've been here.

0:22:31.390,0:22:34.384
>> I was a seed and now I'm a flower.

0:22:34.384,0:22:36.511
>> But Jerilyn was sent here

0:22:36.511,0:22:38.640
for more than just mischief.

0:22:38.640,0:22:40.681
There is something else,[br]something she has hidden

0:22:40.681,0:22:43.106
from all the other girls.

0:22:43.106,0:22:45.049
So when the girls say, "Why are you here?"

0:22:45.049,0:22:46.063
What do you say?

0:22:46.063,0:22:47.055
>> I'm not going to tell[br]you, so might as well

0:22:47.055,0:22:49.255
just give up on trying to guess.

0:22:49.255,0:22:51.282
>> What is Jerilyn's big secret

0:22:51.282,0:22:53.365
when Primetime continues.

0:22:59.081,0:23:01.511
>> When Primetime returns.

0:23:01.511,0:23:04.044
A young girl finally tells our cameras

0:23:04.044,0:23:06.655
her shocking secret, the[br]one she's kept hidden

0:23:06.655,0:23:09.857
from the other inmates[br]for the past three years.

0:23:09.857,0:23:11.107
>> I'm here for.

0:23:16.374,0:23:17.207
Wait.

0:23:18.792,0:23:22.125
(acoustic guitar music)

0:23:23.149,0:23:25.940
>> Primetime continues after this

0:23:25.940,0:23:27.773
from our ABC stations.

0:23:32.353,0:23:35.686
The Lost Children Behind Bars continues.

0:23:39.323,0:23:41.331
>> When these kids leave Arizona's

0:23:41.331,0:23:43.709
Department of Corrections,[br]they may leave behind

0:23:43.709,0:23:45.128
bars, bells, and locks,

0:23:45.128,0:23:48.218
but they face invisible[br]obstacles on the outside.

0:23:48.218,0:23:51.303
Troubled families, old friends, and often,

0:23:51.303,0:23:53.928
profoundly painful memories.

0:23:53.928,0:23:55.755
>> For me, it's been a big chance.

0:23:55.755,0:23:58.229
Like, it changed my[br]life completely around.

0:23:58.229,0:23:59.745
I did a whole 360.

0:23:59.745,0:24:01.942
>> After three years of intensive therapy

0:24:01.942,0:24:05.536
and life on the inside,[br]Jerilyn is moving on.

0:24:05.536,0:24:08.068
She's just had her final[br]meeting with the superintendent

0:24:08.068,0:24:09.151
review board.

0:24:10.139,0:24:11.434
>> I always had the look,

0:24:11.434,0:24:13.144
like the fear in the[br]back of my head saying

0:24:13.144,0:24:14.374
I'm not leaving.

0:24:14.374,0:24:15.207
But I've come this far

0:24:15.207,0:24:19.106
and at my board, they had[br]nothing but nice things to say.

0:24:19.106,0:24:20.767
And it's like, whoa.

0:24:20.767,0:24:22.761
>> Her sentence was longer than most

0:24:22.761,0:24:24.490
and for good reason.

0:24:24.490,0:24:26.478
Though she's been through so much,

0:24:26.478,0:24:28.452
she's still so young.

0:24:28.452,0:24:29.747
>> I don't want to grow up,

0:24:29.747,0:24:31.424
I don't want to become an adult.

0:24:31.424,0:24:32.423
I want to be home.

0:24:32.423,0:24:34.365
I kind of missed out three[br]years of my teenage life

0:24:34.365,0:24:35.698
being locked up,

0:24:36.562,0:24:37.812
and that sucks.

0:24:39.346,0:24:41.846
(tense music)

0:24:42.844,0:24:44.591
>> Jerilyn was just six years old

0:24:44.591,0:24:48.426
when she was molested by[br]her mother's boyfriend.

0:24:48.426,0:24:52.901
>> I got involved with some[br]guy that I thought I knew,

0:24:52.901,0:24:54.568
but he molested her.

0:24:55.937,0:24:57.380
>> How long had it been going on?

0:24:57.380,0:24:59.542
>> It was a short time.

0:24:59.542,0:25:00.375
It was

0:25:01.579,0:25:02.577
about a month.

0:25:02.577,0:25:05.755
>> Imagine a month of molestation.

0:25:05.755,0:25:07.642
The damage was profound.

0:25:07.642,0:25:09.164
Young Jerilyn lost her innocence

0:25:09.164,0:25:11.338
and when still just a child, began a cycle

0:25:11.338,0:25:14.218
of petty crime, substance[br]abuse, and truancy.

0:25:14.218,0:25:17.096
>> Started doing drugs,[br]meeting different people,

0:25:17.096,0:25:21.494
doing alcohol, staying[br]up late, not coming home.

0:25:21.494,0:25:23.064
(man mutters)

0:25:23.064,0:25:27.231
>> But then, Jerilyn's[br]behavior turned darker.

0:25:28.096,0:25:32.449
At just 13, she committed[br]an almost unthinkable act.

0:25:32.449,0:25:35.457
>> I heard the kids in[br]the backroom playing.

0:25:35.457,0:25:37.437
Then, all the sudden a door shut.

0:25:37.437,0:25:40.018
I opened the door and there[br]they was, laying in the corner.

0:25:40.018,0:25:44.124
>> I'm Jerilyn, I'm 17 and I'm[br]here for child molestation.

0:25:44.124,0:25:47.865
I had a sexual encounter[br]with my 6-year-old nephew

0:25:47.865,0:25:49.374
at the time.

0:25:49.374,0:25:51.061
>> Jerilyn may never fully understand

0:25:51.061,0:25:52.597
why she did what she did.

0:25:52.597,0:25:55.175
After years of therapy,[br]she merely seems to parrot

0:25:55.175,0:25:57.336
the professionals.

0:25:57.336,0:25:58.835
>> I was only thinking about myself

0:25:58.835,0:26:00.953
and my wants and needs and desires.

0:26:00.953,0:26:02.981
I was just focused on hurting them

0:26:02.981,0:26:05.138
and to hurt myself, too.

0:26:05.138,0:26:06.397
Five pills.

0:26:06.397,0:26:08.305
>> Okay.[br]>> I need six.

0:26:08.305,0:26:09.444
>> I thought I had it for you right here.

0:26:09.444,0:26:11.100
>> Like most of these kids,

0:26:11.100,0:26:12.980
Jerilyn will need medication and therapy

0:26:12.980,0:26:14.072
for years to come.

0:26:14.072,0:26:16.325
She will be returning to a hard life

0:26:16.325,0:26:20.307
in a cramped trailer with[br]her mother, Sherylin.

0:26:20.307,0:26:23.111
>> I don't want to wreck the closet.

0:26:23.111,0:26:23.947
Don't worry.

0:26:23.947,0:26:27.437
They want us to have twin[br]beds, but I don't have

0:26:27.437,0:26:29.861
the money to buy twin beds,[br]and it's big enough for two.

0:26:29.861,0:26:31.663
I miss her so much.

0:26:31.663,0:26:33.219
We just hug each other and we fall asleep.

0:26:33.219,0:26:35.922
>> Sherylin has a severe heart problem

0:26:35.922,0:26:38.897
that makes keeping house[br]and working near impossible.

0:26:38.897,0:26:40.856
She's counting on Jerilyn to find a job

0:26:40.856,0:26:44.595
and help pay the $435 a month rent.

0:26:44.595,0:26:46.721
A lot of pressure for a young girl

0:26:46.721,0:26:49.638
still trying to figure herself out.

0:26:52.291,0:26:56.389
Ashley too is only days away[br]from her chance to go home.

0:26:56.389,0:26:59.332
Ashley has softened in just the short time

0:26:59.332,0:27:00.665
she's been here.

0:27:00.665,0:27:02.877
Now she's eager to discuss her emotions

0:27:02.877,0:27:05.674
and share letters and poems[br]she's addressed to others

0:27:05.674,0:27:08.091
but written for herself.

0:27:08.091,0:27:13.032
>> When you go back and[br]read what you have written,

0:27:13.032,0:27:15.199
what is that like for you?

0:27:16.794,0:27:19.276
>> It's hard because[br]it brings back memories

0:27:19.276,0:27:21.539
I don't really want to be brought back up.

0:27:21.539,0:27:22.565
>> Give it a go.

0:27:22.565,0:27:24.482
Let's see what you got.

0:27:26.694,0:27:29.402
Words written to the[br]father who abandoned her.

0:27:29.402,0:27:31.179
>> "You were someone who[br]was supposed to be there

0:27:31.179,0:27:32.480
"and supposed to care.

0:27:32.480,0:27:33.763
"Instead, you walked out of my life

0:27:33.763,0:27:34.797
"and never looked back.

0:27:34.797,0:27:36.688
"You tried to make contact,[br]but now I'm the one

0:27:36.688,0:27:38.267
"who turns away.

0:27:38.267,0:27:40.341
"I'm the one who has walked out

0:27:40.341,0:27:44.508
"and I can honestly say I'll[br]never come back in your life."

0:27:46.093,0:27:48.262
>> You going to send him that?

0:27:48.262,0:27:50.295
>> I don't have his address

0:27:50.295,0:27:53.712
and I don't talk to him, so I don't know.

0:27:55.391,0:27:56.607
>> Do you think that you're bad

0:27:56.607,0:28:00.006
or do you think that you're hurting?

0:28:00.006,0:28:02.192
>> I don't feel that I'm bad,

0:28:02.192,0:28:05.761
but I know that what I do is wrong

0:28:05.761,0:28:07.740
and most of the time, I[br]do it because I'm hurting.

0:28:07.740,0:28:10.818
>> Paint a picture for me of,

0:28:10.818,0:28:13.548
what would be the dream end to this?

0:28:13.548,0:28:16.147
>> To get out and not have to lead back.

0:28:16.147,0:28:19.016
>> From dream to reality,

0:28:19.016,0:28:21.388
her superintendent review[br]board, where Ashley

0:28:21.388,0:28:23.046
makes her case for freedom.

0:28:23.046,0:28:25.546
>> Before, I didn't really care

0:28:26.423,0:28:28.688
about what happened to me, but now,

0:28:28.688,0:28:31.286
being away from my family, I[br]know that they care about me

0:28:31.286,0:28:34.536
and they want me to just be successful.

0:28:43.682,0:28:45.993
>> Do you want to be successful?

0:28:45.993,0:28:47.184
>> Yeah.

0:28:47.184,0:28:48.184
>> For who?

0:28:48.184,0:28:49.017
>> For me.

0:28:49.017,0:28:50.430
>> For you.

0:28:50.430,0:28:52.134
>> But will she be able to succeed if she

0:28:52.134,0:28:53.140
goes back to a toxic home life?

0:28:53.140,0:28:56.070
Her only buffer will be the[br]love of her grandparents,

0:28:56.070,0:28:58.515
who have become her legal guardians.

0:28:58.515,0:29:00.448
Grandpa is there by her side.

0:29:00.448,0:29:03.120
Grandma's on the phone, offering support.

0:29:03.120,0:29:04.858
>> [Ashley's Grandma] Ashley can do it.

0:29:04.858,0:29:07.077
She's just got to have[br]the right kind of guidance

0:29:07.077,0:29:09.641
and somebody to show her what's right

0:29:09.641,0:29:12.291
and what's wrong and[br]what's expected of her.

0:29:12.291,0:29:14.810
>> For Ashley, the challenge[br]will be with her mother,

0:29:14.810,0:29:17.416
who lives just blocks[br]from her grandparents.

0:29:17.416,0:29:19.069
Ashley feels that her[br]mother has repeatedly

0:29:19.069,0:29:20.899
put the men in her life[br]before her children

0:29:20.899,0:29:25.066
and says her neglect has fueled[br]much of her pain and rage.

0:29:26.291,0:29:28.632
>> Tell her she don't have[br]to come because I don't

0:29:28.632,0:29:29.921
want her there.

0:29:29.921,0:29:33.536
>> She has a number of[br]issues surrounding mom

0:29:33.536,0:29:36.203
and neglect, abandonment issues.

0:29:37.130,0:29:41.787
Any child, when that connection[br]to the natural mother

0:29:41.787,0:29:45.437
isn't strong, there's some percussions.

0:29:45.437,0:29:48.547
>> Still, Ashley has[br]made a persuasive case

0:29:48.547,0:29:51.119
and a decision is rendered.

0:29:51.119,0:29:53.306
>> Well, I think you've[br]done a lot of changing,

0:29:53.306,0:29:54.448
a lot of growing,

0:29:54.448,0:29:59.194
and I wish you a lot of[br]success in the community

0:29:59.194,0:30:00.764
and we're going to release you.

0:30:00.764,0:30:04.097
(acoustic guitar music)

0:30:06.684,0:30:08.594
I'm going to conditionally release.

0:30:08.594,0:30:10.852
You're going to be on[br]parol and you're going

0:30:10.852,0:30:12.335
to leave Sunday.

0:30:12.335,0:30:13.912
>> I love you, grandma!

0:30:13.912,0:30:15.877
>> [Ashley's Grandmother][br]I love you too, babe!

0:30:15.877,0:30:16.879
Miss you.

0:30:16.879,0:30:18.117
>> Don't cry, you're going to make me cry.

0:30:18.117,0:30:20.176
>> [Ashley's Grandmother][br]Okay honey, well,

0:30:20.176,0:30:22.771
we'll be over there early[br]Sunday morning to get you.

0:30:22.771,0:30:24.866
>> Bring me some clothes, please.

0:30:24.866,0:30:26.425
>> [Ashley's Grandmother][br]No, you're coming home

0:30:26.425,0:30:27.787
in your birthday suit.

0:30:27.787,0:30:28.784
(all laugh)

0:30:28.784,0:30:30.075
>> All right.

0:30:30.075,0:30:31.907
>> But for all the smiles,

0:30:31.907,0:30:32.961
the numbers paint a grim picture.

0:30:32.961,0:30:36.251
43% of these kids[br]eventually wind up back here

0:30:36.251,0:30:38.912
or in an adult prison.

0:30:38.912,0:30:42.888
>> I hope I don't see Ashley back here.

0:30:42.888,0:30:46.526
There is a very good chance[br]that Ashley will be back here.

0:30:46.526,0:30:48.663
>> It's Ashley's last night here

0:30:48.663,0:30:50.546
and she's excited to leave,

0:30:50.546,0:30:55.020
but she has no idea what[br]she'll face when she goes home.

0:30:55.020,0:30:56.458
(door slams)

0:30:56.458,0:30:59.791
(acoustic guitar music)

0:31:03.280,0:31:06.528
>> Up next, new beginnings.

0:31:06.528,0:31:10.640
For Casey, the final push[br]for a baby behind bars.

0:31:10.640,0:31:12.761
>> You're every little thing.

0:31:12.761,0:31:15.224
>> And for Ashley, home at last.

0:31:15.224,0:31:16.307
>> Oh, my bed!

0:31:17.659,0:31:19.577
>> But there's a call from her past

0:31:19.577,0:31:21.006
that leads to disaster.

0:31:21.006,0:31:22.478
Who's on the other end?

0:31:22.478,0:31:26.228
When the Last Children[br]Behind Bars continues.

0:31:28.852,0:31:30.519
Primetime continues.

0:31:31.971,0:31:33.939
Once again, Chris Cuomo.

0:31:33.939,0:31:37.272
(electric guitar music)

0:31:38.644,0:31:40.318
>> Our time with these[br]kids is about to come

0:31:40.318,0:31:41.422
to an end.

0:31:41.422,0:31:44.134
It's been quite a journey,[br]and now we flash forward

0:31:44.134,0:31:46.218
a full year since you last saw them,

0:31:46.218,0:31:48.201
and a lot as changed.

0:31:48.201,0:31:49.987
We begin with Casey.

0:31:49.987,0:31:52.714
As you remember, she dedicated[br]her time in corrections

0:31:52.714,0:31:55.041
preparing for this moment.

0:31:55.041,0:31:56.602
>> I'm going to be having a girl

0:31:56.602,0:31:59.409
and her name's going to be Emily Renee.

0:31:59.409,0:32:02.112
>> After eight hours of labor, Emily Renee

0:32:02.112,0:32:05.695
is born eight pounds[br]21 inches and healthy.

0:32:07.416,0:32:09.288
For Casey, she is the living hope

0:32:09.288,0:32:11.041
for a better future.

0:32:11.041,0:32:15.513
At first, the baby had to sleep[br]at her grandmother's house

0:32:15.513,0:32:18.494
while mom remained locked[br]in a cinder block cell

0:32:18.494,0:32:19.661
15 miles away.

0:32:21.512,0:32:24.620
>> That's her when she was about, oh,

0:32:24.620,0:32:25.823
a week old.

0:32:25.823,0:32:27.593
That's one of the ones[br]that were done in jail.

0:32:27.593,0:32:29.418
I see you smiling!

0:32:29.418,0:32:31.795
>> Today, Casey and[br]Emily Renee live together

0:32:31.795,0:32:35.177
and the teenage father is[br]also still in the picture.

0:32:35.177,0:32:38.503
And things are changing for the better

0:32:38.503,0:32:41.075
for Casey and her new family.

0:32:41.075,0:32:43.100
She's working, completing her GED

0:32:43.100,0:32:46.190
and plans to start college in the fall.

0:32:46.190,0:32:48.038
Like before, my problem was getting high,

0:32:48.038,0:32:50.412
and she's my high now.

0:32:50.412,0:32:52.177
I'm afraid if I get high or something,

0:32:52.177,0:32:54.319
I'll be, I can't take care of her,

0:32:54.319,0:32:55.889
so that's one of the reasons[br]why I've stayed clean

0:32:55.889,0:32:56.981
and I've done good,

0:32:56.981,0:33:00.424
and I don't know, she's[br]everything to me now.

0:33:00.424,0:33:03.278
>> For Jesse, the star of the program,

0:33:03.278,0:33:05.118
the last three years of his life

0:33:05.118,0:33:07.873
have been all about hope.

0:33:07.873,0:33:09.874
>> 911, what is your emergency?

0:33:09.874,0:33:12.203
>> Instead of taking away from this world,

0:33:12.203,0:33:14.441
instead of hurting, I am[br]now giving back and helping.

0:33:14.441,0:33:19.255
>> This was home for[br]Jesse until he turned 18.

0:33:19.255,0:33:21.645
85% of releases come this way.

0:33:21.645,0:33:24.168
It's called aging out of the facility.

0:33:24.168,0:33:28.335
And it's a moment Jesse has[br]waited for for a long time.

0:33:29.832,0:33:33.960
>> The moment I'm facing[br]the gate and I hear the call

0:33:33.960,0:33:36.596
for the gate to open and before me,

0:33:36.596,0:33:39.812
I see a horizon without[br]fences and I'm experiencing

0:33:39.812,0:33:42.014
freedom for the first[br]time in such a great while

0:33:42.014,0:33:44.964
that I fall to my knees and I begin to cry

0:33:44.964,0:33:47.473
because I don't remember what it's like,

0:33:47.473,0:33:49.435
Oh, after you!

0:33:49.435,0:33:51.587
I mean, losers first.

0:33:51.587,0:33:55.505
>> But for this standout[br]kid, reentry has gone well.

0:33:55.505,0:33:57.512
He visited me in New York City,

0:33:57.512,0:34:00.055
and this time, we were on my home court.

0:34:00.055,0:34:02.638
(upbeat music)

0:34:03.691,0:34:04.689
>> Oh yeah, I'm excited

0:34:04.689,0:34:06.461
just to be able to have

0:34:06.461,0:34:08.478
my freedom of thought

0:34:08.478,0:34:10.204
and to make my own decisions.

0:34:10.204,0:34:11.478
That's exciting.

0:34:11.478,0:34:12.645
>> You're not rushing[br]into anything, though?

0:34:12.645,0:34:13.908
>> No!

0:34:13.908,0:34:14.906
Trust me, I got my stuff organized.

0:34:14.906,0:34:18.024
Like, if I'm not ready, like,[br]I'm not going to have a kid

0:34:18.024,0:34:19.862
until near 30

0:34:19.862,0:34:22.739
because I want to make sure[br]that everything is ready,

0:34:22.739,0:34:24.632
that this kid can come into my life

0:34:24.632,0:34:27.016
and have everything that the child needs.

0:34:27.016,0:34:28.837
>> Everything is going[br]according to plan for Jesse.

0:34:28.837,0:34:31.793
He moved to Upstate New York[br]and is living with family

0:34:31.793,0:34:34.594
and now, working at a[br]sporting goods store.

0:34:34.594,0:34:37.630
He plans to start college in the spring,

0:34:37.630,0:34:41.826
but there is always that[br]inevitable question.

0:34:41.826,0:34:43.033
Why were you in jail, you know?

0:34:43.033,0:34:44.963
And I'm like, "Well, when I was 14,

0:34:44.963,0:34:46.692
"I was playing around with a gun

0:34:46.692,0:34:48.743
"and I shot and killed[br]someone I care for."

0:34:48.743,0:34:52.315
>> But you do have to[br]get past that, right?

0:34:52.315,0:34:54.494
Because you're already much[br]more than what you were

0:34:54.494,0:34:55.774
when you were 14

0:34:55.774,0:34:58.166
on one night, one set of decisions,

0:34:58.166,0:35:00.487
a lifetime worth of consequences.

0:35:00.487,0:35:02.332
>> I've been through the worst struggles

0:35:02.332,0:35:04.065
and I've made it, and[br]I've come out stronger

0:35:04.065,0:35:07.416
than I was before, so I need to use that

0:35:07.416,0:35:08.416
and move on.

0:35:09.365,0:35:13.337
(electric guitar music)

0:35:13.337,0:35:14.589
>> I was put on this earth for a reason.

0:35:14.589,0:35:17.976
It wasn't to be bad, it[br]was to do what I have to,

0:35:17.976,0:35:19.226
not go to jail.

0:35:22.395,0:35:25.703
>> But unfortunately, Conrad[br]would wind up in jail.

0:35:25.703,0:35:27.453
First came adult jail

0:35:28.552,0:35:32.822
and then adult court to[br]face outstanding charges

0:35:32.822,0:35:34.306
for breaking into cars.

0:35:34.306,0:35:36.604
Conrad claims he was just the lookout.

0:35:36.604,0:35:38.946
>> They shackled me, searched me,

0:35:38.946,0:35:41.222
and handcuffed me and put me in the van.

0:35:41.222,0:35:43.088
>> (mutters) versus Conrad.

0:35:43.088,0:35:44.969
>> His status as a juvenile can no longer

0:35:44.969,0:35:47.737
insulate him because he's now considered

0:35:47.737,0:35:49.621
a habitual offender.

0:35:49.621,0:35:53.066
From now on, he will[br]face adult prison time.

0:35:53.066,0:35:54.894
>> The difference between there and here

0:35:54.894,0:35:57.243
is there, they care for you[br]guys, trying to help you

0:35:57.243,0:35:59.052
put you back out in the community.

0:35:59.052,0:36:03.024
And here, they really don't[br]care what happens to you.

0:36:03.024,0:36:05.029
>> He's in a man's world now,

0:36:05.029,0:36:07.176
a reality that is sinking in.

0:36:07.176,0:36:09.742
>> Because if I go to prison[br]because of my size and stuff,

0:36:09.742,0:36:12.640
it would be easy for them to handle me

0:36:12.640,0:36:14.211
and I don't want that to happen.

0:36:14.211,0:36:16.305
>> All right sir, Mr.[br](mutters), your part looks like,

0:36:16.305,0:36:17.338
>> Conrad has won one more chance.

0:36:17.338,0:36:22.176
After a week-long trial, the[br]jury found him not guilty.

0:36:22.176,0:36:25.558
(upbeat music)

0:36:25.558,0:36:27.006
He's now back home with his family,

0:36:27.006,0:36:30.942
trying to earn his GED and[br]staying out of trouble.

0:36:30.942,0:36:32.979
(girl screams)[br]He'll be 18 in September.

0:36:32.979,0:36:37.146
For all these kids, the key[br]is finding the right path.

0:36:39.037,0:36:42.706
And for Jerilyn, that meant[br]graduating from trade school.

0:36:42.706,0:36:45.170
>> I like doing stuff with my[br]hands, not sitting at a desk

0:36:45.170,0:36:47.221
behind a computer, being bored.

0:36:47.221,0:36:49.599
>> And despite some ups and downs,

0:36:49.599,0:36:54.526
she's been complying with[br]the rules of her parole.

0:36:54.526,0:36:58.210
>> Special recognization award for Tucson

0:36:58.210,0:37:00.237
Juvenile Parole and Resource Center,

0:37:00.237,0:37:04.545
so it's for continual[br]success in the community

0:37:04.545,0:37:06.926
and becoming a positive role model.

0:37:06.926,0:37:09.216
Jerilyn has moved home with her mother

0:37:09.216,0:37:11.809
who's been anxiously awaiting her return.

0:37:11.809,0:37:14.587
(water splashes)

0:37:14.587,0:37:16.007
They even have a community swimming pool

0:37:16.007,0:37:18.032
to escape the Arizona heat.

0:37:18.032,0:37:20.891
A place to dream about the future.

0:37:20.891,0:37:24.642
>> I'm going to try to[br]accomplish what I planned,

0:37:24.642,0:37:27.059
but in New York, I get a car,

0:37:28.261,0:37:30.011
get a nice education.

0:37:31.000,0:37:32.177
I want to go to college.

0:37:32.177,0:37:35.225
>> A lot of accomplish for a young woman,

0:37:35.225,0:37:37.631
especially while taking care of her sickly

0:37:37.631,0:37:39.245
unemployed mother.

0:37:39.245,0:37:42.368
Just 19 days from adulthood, Jerilyn hints

0:37:42.368,0:37:43.976
at her burden.

0:37:43.976,0:37:46.153
>> She's the mom, I'm the daughter.

0:37:46.153,0:37:48.988
I did the job of both of us

0:37:48.988,0:37:52.782
and it's just time for me to grow up

0:37:52.782,0:37:54.582
and take care of myself.

0:37:54.582,0:37:58.724
A fragile situation that soon gives way.

0:37:58.724,0:38:00.661
(phone beeps)

0:38:00.661,0:38:01.715
>> This is the police.

0:38:01.715,0:38:02.608
Can I help you?

0:38:02.608,0:38:05.358
(Jerilyn speaks)

0:38:08.643,0:38:10.944
>> 19 days later, a 2:00 a.m. phone call

0:38:10.944,0:38:12.111
to the police.

0:38:26.540,0:38:28.527
(siren wails)

0:38:28.527,0:38:29.924
>> Jerilyn?[br]>> Yes?

0:38:29.924,0:38:33.162
>> Sherilyn was arrested[br]for domestic violence,

0:38:33.162,0:38:35.143
seen here in court just last month.

0:38:35.143,0:38:38.931
And Jerilyn has been living with relatives

0:38:38.931,0:38:41.359
while mother and daughter[br]work on reconciling.

0:38:41.359,0:38:42.985
>> Good morning.

0:38:42.985,0:38:45.509
>> And for Ashley, one final wake-up call.

0:38:45.509,0:38:46.945
>> I didn't sleep.

0:38:46.945,0:38:48.297
>> You're good.[br]>> Okay!

0:38:48.297,0:38:49.296
(man laughs)[br]>> Good luck.

0:38:49.296,0:38:50.379
>> Oh, my bed!

0:38:52.099,0:38:54.316
>> At first, things go well.

0:38:54.316,0:38:57.124
Within days, there's even a[br]new boyfriend in the picture.

0:38:57.124,0:39:00.582
But then, an old demon resurfaces.

0:39:00.582,0:39:02.832
>> I got a call from someone

0:39:04.300,0:39:06.258
that I didn't really want to talk to.

0:39:06.258,0:39:09.102
>> Even with her new[br]love and her new chance,

0:39:09.102,0:39:12.395
harsh words from her three-time[br]convicted felon father,

0:39:12.395,0:39:14.919
shattering her fragile confidence.

0:39:14.919,0:39:17.465
>> He told me that he wanted[br]nothing to do with me,

0:39:17.465,0:39:19.963
that I was worthless,

0:39:19.963,0:39:21.460
that I was a mistake.

0:39:21.460,0:39:23.866
>> The pain pushes 17-year-old Ashley

0:39:23.866,0:39:26.835
to make her eighth suicide attempt.

0:39:26.835,0:39:28.306
>> After I got off the phone with him,

0:39:28.306,0:39:32.268
went in the bathroom, got[br]to three bottles of pills

0:39:32.268,0:39:34.268
and started taking them.

0:39:38.359,0:39:39.959
I wanted to die.

0:39:39.959,0:39:41.542
I wanted it all to end.

0:39:41.542,0:39:45.672
>> Like so many of the[br]girls we met, Ashley

0:39:45.672,0:39:47.570
is desperate to be loved

0:39:47.570,0:39:48.987
and to give love.

0:39:50.057,0:39:54.788
She repeats the cycle of becoming[br]a teenage parent herself.

0:39:54.788,0:39:58.654
Soon, her boyfriend is not[br]he only man in her life.

0:39:58.654,0:40:01.460
>> I'm going to give my[br]baby everything that my mom

0:40:01.460,0:40:02.922
couldn't give me.

0:40:02.922,0:40:04.995
>> It's not an easy dream[br]to live out, but pregnancy

0:40:04.995,0:40:08.473
does help keep Ashley out of trouble.

0:40:08.473,0:40:10.502
Just two days before her graduation,

0:40:10.502,0:40:13.701
Ashley gave birth to[br]seven pound, seven ounce

0:40:13.701,0:40:17.288
Joshua David, a Biblical[br]name that suggests

0:40:17.288,0:40:19.152
a calling to overcome.

0:40:19.152,0:40:21.411
(orchestral music)

0:40:21.411,0:40:22.889
Her son's birth wound up being the perfect

0:40:22.889,0:40:24.700
graduation gift.

0:40:24.700,0:40:26.972
>> In spite of everything,[br]she's changed her life

0:40:26.972,0:40:29.966
and was just released from[br]the hospital, we understand,

0:40:29.966,0:40:33.442
today, and she has said that[br]she was not going to miss

0:40:33.442,0:40:34.567
her graduation.

0:40:34.567,0:40:36.492
(audience applauds)[br]Ashley, would you please

0:40:36.492,0:40:37.784
come up and receive your[br]presidential scholarship?

0:40:37.784,0:40:40.278
(audience applauds)

0:40:40.278,0:40:41.279
>> Thank you.[br]>> Thank you.

0:40:41.279,0:40:42.581
>> We're very proud of you.

0:40:42.581,0:40:44.580
>> She is off to college and off drugs.

0:40:44.580,0:40:47.523
The hope is that she and all of these kids

0:40:47.523,0:40:50.690
have their best days in front of them.

0:40:52.436,0:40:56.507
>> This has been one of the better weeks

0:40:56.507,0:40:58.899
I've had in a long time,

0:40:58.899,0:41:00.399
probably the best.

0:41:01.433,0:41:03.933
>> We'll be right back.

0:41:07.674,0:41:09.626
Like the rest of us,[br]these kids can't control

0:41:09.626,0:41:11.355
the circumstances they were born into,

0:41:11.355,0:41:14.354
and many of them won't[br]be able to overcome them,

0:41:14.354,0:41:16.768
but whether it was the[br]success of the Arizona system

0:41:16.768,0:41:19.264
or just the eternal optimism of youth,

0:41:19.264,0:41:21.656
every one of these kids[br]held a ray of hope,

0:41:21.656,0:41:24.591
all of them wanted to change.

0:41:24.591,0:41:26.211
I'm Chris Cuomo.

0:41:26.211,0:41:29.041
For all of us at Primetime, goodnight.

0:41:29.041,0:41:31.921
(men shout)

0:41:31.921,0:41:34.838
(percussive music)

0:41:35.791,0:41:37.226
>> The Emmy nominations are in.

0:41:37.226,0:41:40.078
Every ABC News program[br]has been singled out,

0:41:40.078,0:41:41.886
honored for excellence.

0:41:41.886,0:41:43.534
No wonder morning 'till night,

0:41:43.534,0:41:46.334
24, 7, more Americans get[br]their news from ABC News,

0:41:46.334,0:41:50.689
accurate, credible, and[br]once again, honored.

0:41:50.689,0:41:52.517
>> [Second Announcer][br]The Women's British Open,

0:41:52.517,0:41:54.184
this weekend on ABC.

0:41:58.668,0:42:01.085
(horn music)