If You think the Prison System in America is Bad, the Juvenile System is much Worse

Added: (Mon Mar 02 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Many Parents know that teens sometimes make less than wise Choices. But do they deserve to have the "Book" thrown at Them, without the Right to Bail? Read on about the Horrors of Youth languishing in the Juvenile System on Tax Dollars, as numerous Injustices are 'swept' under the rug in the name of Privacy to supposedly "protect the rights of Minors."


Mar 02, 2009 Marin County, CA We have all heard the horror stories of the Prison System. Yet why do the Injustices of the Juvenile System go unrecognized? Because of Just That: It is the Juvenile System. Therefore, cases are "hush hush" to supposedly protect the "Rights of Minors." What is actually happening is that numerous Injustices are swept under the Rug. It is time to shine a Light on Them. We do so without mentioning names of the Youth in Question, for Privacy Issues. However, the Reputable not-for-profit Organization Eternal Youth Empire is able to verify all the facts in this case when privately contacted.

Case in Point: An inmate who we shall only mention by His initials TL is currently languishing at the Washoe County Jail on Parr Blvd. in Reno, Nevada, USA and His is a tricky case. He just turned 18, which makes Him legally an adult, yet His offense was committed as a Youth, so they can still hold Him in jail without the right to bail - a Right not given to Youth - offered only to Adults.


The right to Bail Out is given mainly so that everybody has a fair chance to counsel with an Attorney of Their Choosing in Preparation for their Trial. TL was denied this Right at his latest Hearing by Judge Schmuck, on Thursday, February 26, 2009, after already serving 31 days in Jail, on Taxpayers' Dime. It is interesting to note that the financially struggling Washoe County is notoriously known for Overcrowding jails and lower standards than the Rest of the Country. One could do an entire Story on that side of It if One Chooses, with the usual Statistics and Figures of how much Each Inmate costs the County every day, and how deplorable their Living Conditions truly are.

TL's Public Defender did his best to at least get Him "house arrest" or an ankle monitor, yet Judge Schmuck denied TL this Right usually granted to Adults, even though, the reason they are keeping Him still, is because they are now trying to Certify Him as an Adult.
It is a Catch 22.

TL was picked up at the airport returning from the Philippines on January 26, 2009. He is a newlywed, and went to meet His new in-laws. TL had no idea that leaving the Country would be a Violation of Probation, for an infraction He committed many months ago and already served time for in the juvenile system. Because of this innocent Oversight on TL's part, He is being called a Fugitive who Absconded, even though he clearly re-entered the Country of his own volition on obviously pre-purchased round trip tickets and never even knew he was a Fugitive.

However, he was treated as if He were some egregious Outlaw. At the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, as he and his wife were deplaning after a long 24 hour trip, Police Officers actually came into the plane and arrested Him on the Spot in front of Everyone like an animal, without even allowing Him to kiss his wife goodbye or talk about being Blindsided with the Arrest.

All this had been made clear to the Judge Schmuck, District Attorney Shelly Scott, and TL's Probation Officer Mark Clark. The Probation Officer told TL's wife off the record he would do his best to get TL off on "time already served" (31 days!) and call it "unsuccessful Termination of Probation," since TL had paid His Restitution Fines in Full. There were two hearings regarding all of this, on February 19 and February 26, 2009. Interestingly, this Probation Officer Mark Clark who was best-informed about all the tricky nuances of TL's case never even showed up to either of these Hearings, and TL had the Book thrown at Him for innocently going on His Honeymoon. He was denied bail twice without the benefit of the One Person who knew most about his case - his probation officer - even being there.

The Original Offense to begin with which unfortunately got TL thrown into the Juvenile System is equally as innocuous. Many months ago, when TL was hungry, he and three of his friends, in their time of starvation, decided to go ahead and kill a cow, so that they could cook it and eat it. Of course the cow did not belong to them, and the angry rancher demanded Justice Be Served.

TL is a good person who simply made some bad choices as a Youth. But who has not?
Some teens were lucky enough not to be caught, and able to learn their lessons in due time and privacy. But everything happens for a Reason, and perhaps it is TL who has to be made an Example of, to Shine a Light on the wastefulness and inefficiency of the Juvenile Court System, particularly in Washoe County, the same way leaders of the past like Nelson Mandela brought attention to injustices while they were in jail.

What if this Teenager was a Family member, denied the Right to Bail, or even an ankle monitor, even if they are being tried to be brought to Adult Certification?

It was made clear to Judge Schmuck and the District Attorney Shelly Scott that TL is not a flight risk, even though that is the main Reason they give for denying Him Bail. TL is able to show that He holds a steady job and as stated earlier, is a newlywed, to a rather public figure, an actress and novelist. If one were to do Google Searches on either of their names, one would find It laughable that either of them could even be a Fugitive due to their Status. The worst part is, during the 31 days TL has already languished in jail without the fair right to bail or a Speedy Trial, his newlywed wife miscarried what would have been their first child, on February 5, 2009, at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Now TL has to make a Tough Decision: "fight" the fact that Washoe County is trying to Certify Him as an Adult, a process that could take up to yet another 45 days as he wastes time in Jail on Taxpayers' Dime without the same rights given to an adult even though they are trying to Certify Him as an adult, or,

He can simply go along with the Adult Certification.

This process still takes a minimum of 21 days, where, if He is certified as an adult,
He will begin anew going through the same Hearings for the same Offense once again, starting from scratch, only now as an adult, and, if He is still not given bail, he will continue to sit helplessly in an already overcrowded jail, on Taxpayers' Dime.

Where are His Rights to a Speedy Trial?
What happened to the Right to Bail, if One is being tried to be Certified as an Adult?
What if this was the Teenager next door - a generally good person who made some unwise choices in the distant past, whose punishment in no way fits the crime;
a Teenager whose probation officer tells his wife one thing and then does not even Show Up to the Hearings.

Voices need to be Heard before TL's Adult Certification Hearing in about two weeks.

Both Judge Schmuck and the District Attorney Shelly Scott preside at
Washoe County Juvenile Services
650 FERRARI MCLEOD BLVD
RENO NV 89512-1060
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 11130 Reno, NV 89520
General Information Phone: 775.325.7800
General Information Email: juvenilesvs@mail.washoecounty.us

TL's newlywed wife is not a minor, and has a Spotless Record. She will discreetly discuss this case with anyone who can Help, and can be reached by the folks who run Eternal Youth Empire, a not-for-profit Organization dedicated to Enlightening the Masses. Visit the contact page on http://www.EternalYouthEmpire.com to e-mail or call. One comment we can print on the Record from his wife is that she is grateful for the Public Defender's efforts, "In a System that seems rather unfair, the Public Defender appears to be the Only Entity still functioning justly."