Final Exam Part 1

1. The number of juveniles diagnosed with mental disorders and sent to the Youth Commission has doubled in the past decade, and handling medication and other psychiatric treatment has become a big part of the agency's challenge. Diagnosed with attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder in elementary school and placed on Ritalin, according to his mother, Billy more recently was identified as having bipolar disorder,a condition characterized by wide mood swings.

3 of 4 Juvenile justice experts say sending youth offenders back to the same environment that produced them often promotes recidivism. But three-quarters of Youth Comission releases return to their homes — about 10 percent higher than in 2000

2. Timeliness- It's been more than a year since a sexual abuse scandal erupted at a Texas Youth Commission lockup, producing a cascade of investigations and reform efforts that have left the agency¹s very survival in doubt.

This made me think about how the agency has changed in the past year.

Conflict-One of his temporary roommates files theft charges against him when the rent money disappears. Another claims Billy stole some rings from her and pawned them.

This conflict was interesting because this was the first time in the piece that he had gotten in real trouble.

Oddity- In another building at Crockett State School, a social worker hands him the pile of crisp, purposefully unfashionable clothes the Texas Youth Commission gives all its new releases: yellow polo shirt, pocketless jeans held up by elastic and laceless white sneakers fastened with Velcro.

I really don't understand why they all get purposlly ugly new clothes when they get released.

3. "This is gonna be my third Christmas in a row locked up," he says. He begins to cry.

This is a good quote because you realize how often he's in these situations and that he honestly has many regrets. The question was probably something like, "Have you ever been here on a holiday?"