Made me very emotional. It is extremely relatable & necessary to share.

Great podcast that made me emotional. Very insightful and educational. Thank you

I had to listen to this podcast for class and I enjoyed it.

Well done. Intriguing; and while I was alarmed at a lot of the statistics, I know I shouldn’t be. Eye opening!!

Insightful, educational, and attention keeping.

They will tell you that these young thugs are really just good kids. They rob, they kill, but deep down they are just good kids. NO, they are not. Some of the kids profiled are very obviously psychopaths. They have no empathy, no conscience and no ability to assimilate in a civilized society. Is it nature or nurture? Who knows. All I know is that most of these kids do need to be locked up for life in order to protect society because THERE IS NO CURE FOR PSYCHOPATHY. I know the progressives think everyone is good and it is just not “fair,” but there are people that are just evil and they cannot be “fixed.” They need to either be locked up or put down for the rabid animals they are.

I normally just listen to true crime podcasts but heard about this podcast during a Criminal episode and was intrigued. This is an important podcast that everyone should listen to.

So well done. However it angers and saddest me so much we live in so corrupt and unfair system. This is our youth, why are we so against developing our youth!

Really enjoyed this podcast. Wish there had been a few more cases showcased though.

Wonderful commentary, great personal stories, and overall taught me things I didn’t know about juvenile detention centers/ experiences. I would recommend 100%.

I really enjoy the show but please, please ask the narrator to stop the vocal fry. Just speak naturally!

Great show! Would love to hear more.

Hugely important topic and extremely well done. Give it a listen, get sucked in, and learn something new.

I hope they create more of these. I really enjoyed this podcast.

Heartbreaking but so good

As someone who works in the juvenile justice system I can personally say that this is spot on. This podcast gives insight on the POV of the kids. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is unsure or uneducated about the system. I completely disagree with the people giving ratings that they are blaming the system instead of holding the kid accountable. Z is clearly guilty, is states that multiple times. People refuse to look at all angles, kids are products of their environments and the traumas may have. The system is doing a poor job at rehabilitating these youth and we need more podcasts like this to bring awareness.

I am very glad I found this show.

I love this! It is really worth it to listen to it. This is a real eye opener of the system & how we are failing these young kids! One of my customers if a FL. Public Defender and she posted it on Facebook so that is how I got into this podcast! It’s awesome! Thank you!

I love the stories and the inside look we get about a real problem in America. Thank you.

Wonderfully done podcast. Compelling, infuriating and informative about our broken system.

This is a great representation of a broken system. The negative reviewers of this podcast clearly missed F-ing point. Justice and Reform, Crime and Punishment - these are not black and white issues. This show does a great job of providing context to a world that many are far removed from. Inequality and mass incarceration are symptoms of a criminal justice system that doesn’t work for everyone. I was a juvenile offender that made mistakes, and I wonder how the consequences of those mistakes would have been different if I wasn’t white?

I was steered over to this podcast, from “Ear Hustle”. I appreciate E.H. Because they take responsibility for the actions they’ve committed. They (the people incarcerated) have had to learn, to adjust to their situations, be mature, and make the best of hard times. The episode I listened to here, was very poorly done. It’s like the interviewers we’re constantly trying to make everyone feel bad for these law breakers. Wanting to reward these kids, for the bad decisions they seem to Love making. Armed Robbery, Fighting C.O.’s, being bullies, defying authority, and fighting others deserves no reward, nor praise. Smh. Stop teaching kids to play the victims in society, and start pushing them to think more positively.. and fight to be someone other than a dependent leach.

Man this one was good but sad.. Like the difference how one state looks at who can be consider a minor... Pray that at some point the justice system will help people instead of trapped them

Great storytelling! I am devouring each of these episodes about how kids first start down the criminal path. I like hearing the kids perspective of why they behave the way they do. But sometimes, the podcast focuses on how “the system” fails these kids. As a foster parent that deals with children from trauma, I wish the podcast would look even further into the child’s past and the hurts they are dealing with that make them so angry. Keep the episodes coming!!!

The narrator leaves you with one thing “we owe these kids so much more”….Says nothing about what they owe us. If you carjack someone, with a weapon, can you be considered “ a good kid”.... Half the people that rated this podcast didn’t even listen to it, why give something five stars and say I can’t wait to listen??? What? Bottom line - don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. Some crimes were petty and not deserving of jail. If you don’t like the system don’t make yourself a victim of it.

Excellent podcast on what it is like to be caught in the criminal justice system. Doesn't glamorize or try to minimize the wrongdoings but also makes it clear how poorly the system works and how capricious it can be.

As someone who works in a juvenile facility, these shows help raise some spot-on and overdue questions.

When things go well, it’s easy to congratulate ourselves and think that we owe everything to our good character and hard work. I am myself and my circumstances, wrote a philosopher. Oh yeah. And we as society could have more imagination and compassion to improve the circumstances of youth all over the country. Thanks for the podcast. Knowledge and compassion are the first steps for change.

I don't believe there will ever be a discussion about children and the criminal justice system that won't hurt. So much is wrong with America and this problem is a major one. I want to write these kids and encourage them. Show them love and let them know they are worth so much. There a more and more children without love and they are Caught. I read the book about Willie Bosket several years ago. Truly heart breaking and to hear his voice, his families voices, and learn about their visit. The system failed Willie in so many ways. They cycle of this broken system continues.

When crime has been committed, it is too late to re-evaluate the system. We have to focus on seeking justice for the victims. We wish for mercy on the criminal’s soul. There is a special category of “forgiveness”, which can not be given by us humans.

This is an amazing show! Thank you !

NPR is becoming bolder and bolder with its fact checking standards. If you like 0 truth and exaggerated excuses for the condemned this is the perfect pod cast for you.

This is an educational podcast that everyone should listen to.

I heard about this show recently and it had me listening without wanting to put it down. The research, and study references are a big part of breaking down youth incarceration and how their mental emotional health is affected. Brings up a lot of points and thoughts to explore. Also the interviews with the juveniles are intriguing and bring about a lot of vulnerability. Love it!!

I liked listening to this podcast it was certainly interesting and mind opening... I completely agree that our justice system is not helping kids to become better people in the future but instead making them worse. Thus podcast delve into this opinion, but they suggested very little possible solutions to help kids who are troubled and seem to be going down a bad path. We can all complain and have opinions about anything, but nothing will change unless there’s a change that’s suggested and supported. The only other option I recall this podcast mentioning was the expensive wilderness therapy. I hope season two delves more into what the writers think they and we can do to change this epidemic

The stories are interesting but the fact that the narrator glazed over the real reasons these kids are in trouble is disheartening. When will we ever focus on broken families. Every single on of these so far have been products of broken families and/or terrible parents. This is not a government issue. In fact if you’ve listened enough you will realize each person that invited the government into their home to take care of their children have ended up in more harm and trouble than necessary.

love this pod. really well produced and great perspective on the justice system's issues.

I devour each episode and struggle to wait patiently for the next!

I teach at an all boys school. This pod enlighten my understanding of how the system is failing our youth (Black boys in particularly). I love the young man! His mom is wonderful! Thank you

I think this is an important look into how we in the US think about troubled kids. I wept listening to the first two episodes. I grew up in NYC. I have been the victim of crimes and it’s intense to face an attacker’s yet I can’t get over how rough this society remains for so many. This podcast is a window. Listen. You will learn and be touched. Bravo.

Started one episode n can’t stop. Very incisive reporting.

When I realized that this podcast was all about making excuses for criminals, I unscubscribed. The criminal known as "Z" deserves to be locked up and I don't know why the narrator continually pretends to act like he is unsure of whether it's Z or the system that is causing his behavior....c'mon NPR, you can do better than this baloney.

Great reporting. Please be sure to include info on the impact of childhood on both children of incarcerated parents and the children themselves. Important stuff as we have to change this in America!

Though these stories and the injustice that embeds them needs to be told...in this case, trying to blame the system for this young mans endocrine into the justice system seems a bit of an overreach.

This story 'nails it' about disparities in the juvenile justice system. Awful story.....told well.

Always wanted a look at this system. Can't wait to hear it.

I’ll go ahead and give it 5 stars since it was recommended by The Criminal podcast

heard the collaboration with Criminal - it seems like this will be awesome.