Sarah Ford | September 2, 2014
Stories from the field: SPLC advocate’s meeting with teen a reminder children need second chances
By Sharada Jambulapati
Driving down winding country back roads, I headed to an Alabama prison where I would spend the next several hours crammed into a small, makeshift interview room talking to children about their prison experiences.
In Alabama, children as young as 14 can be charged as adults and sent into the adult criminal justice system. But the vast majority are a far cry from the overhyped image of a juvenile super criminal.
More often, they’re like Aaron, who was arrested three years ago and placed in custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections two years later at age 17. Today, he’s 18 – still a minor in Alabama but living in an adult prison.
Aaron was my first interview of the day. He wrote to us at age 15 while he was being held in an adult jail. The words he scrawled in pencil haunted me. When most young people are composing essays for a high school English class, Aaron was writing about a bleak future behind bars.
Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Explore More Articles
Micro-Influencers and Nonprofits: Local Partnerships
What does your nonprofit’s digital presence look like these days? Having a website and social media accounts almost goes without saying, and your team likely…
Why Your Company Should Offer a Matching Gift Program
Every year, billions of dollars in potential charitable giving go unclaimed, not because employees don’t want to give, but because their employers haven’t made it…
Employee Disaster Relief: How to Build an Emergency Assistance Fund Before the Next Crisis
The 2026 hurricane season is already underway. While NOAA forecasts a 55% probability of a below-average season, projections still call for 8–14 named storms, 3–6…
Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.
