ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to illuminate conditions in adult prisons in which vulnerable adolescent offenders are incarcerated, often for many years or even a lifetime. The text highlights crucial aspects endemic to juvenile incarceration of which the public and professionals may not always be aware. These aspects include system processing, prison life, programming and organized group activities, and prisoner rights. Topics rarely discussed, including relationships, sex, sexual assault, and gender identity in prison, are also addressed. The content has been experienced and observed, not merely researched: the imprisoned author draws upon four decades of continuous incarceration. He has been continuously confined in dozens of American penal facilities in 10 different states since being charged with murder at the age of 16, convicted, and sentenced to life.
