""With the urgency of a suspense novel and the power of investigative reporting, Humes take readers onto the street with flak-jacketed probation officers fighting to keep kids alive, into the courthouses where hope and hopelessness collide daily in epic struggles that reveal the best and worst in ourselves and our children, and past the triple-steel doors of Los Angeles' mammoth Central Juvenile Hall, the system's grim, last stop. Here, as a volunteer teacher, Humes also coaxes from these children the stories and poems of a lost generation, raw screams for help and understanding." Humes follows closely the cases of seven young people who were caught up in the system, three of whom have been saved by it?maybe."
"Presents a year of observation and participation in the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles, following the stories of a handful of youths facing a variety of charges and awaiting decisions that will affect the rest of their lives."@en
"A journalist's profile of Los Angeles juvenile court and its judges, lawyers, probation officers, and children focuses on five troubled minors and reveals the system's impact on their lives and their prospects."@en
"A journey through the juvenile court system."