Risky Thinking–Some Numbers: US Juvenile Incarceration

Summary: Risky Thinking

Rick Lindsey, a parole agent at Chad, talks to Richard and his fellow inmates in Feather Hall, which houses the best-behaving inmates. Lindsey has an open discussion where he asks the inmates how they deal with risky thinking and impulse control. They also talk about how different attitudes can also lead someone to making poor decisions.

Summary: Progress Report

In June of 2015, Sasha and their parents attend Richard’s second progress report hearing, where it will be decided whether Richard is eligible for resentencing. Reading from a prepared statement, Karl tells the court that his family has forgiven Richard and that they believe he showed great remorse in the two letters that he wrote to Sasha. Karl also says that they were always against Richard being tried as an adult, and they hope that the justice system will seek to prepare Richard for his future instead of punish him further. The judge thanks Karl and says that his statement will be taken into account when sentencing Richard. Due to paperwork errors, the sentencing is then postponed for another week.

Summary: A Level of Maturity

The judge resentences Richard to five years and allows Richard to stay within the juvenile system, attributing the decision to Richard’s excellent behavior at Chad and the statement that Karl read the week before. Although Richard must still serve three more years, Jasmine is relieved.

Summary: Andrew and the Binary

While Sasha is back home for winter break, they and Andrew meet for dinner. Andrew now identifies as a gay man but still feels challenged with many of the associations and expectations of being a man. Andrew states that he would be genderqueer or androgynous, but he fears other people’s judgments and hostility. It is easier for him to keep a binary descriptor.

Summary: Birthdays

Richard turns eighteen while in Alameda County Juvenile Hall. He has earned his high school diploma and works for a nonprofit organization. He saves some of his wages for his eventual release and pays some toward the fine that was part of his plea bargain. He has been extremely successful within the system. He is eventually released, before his twenty-first birthday.

Summary: 1001 No-Longer-Blank White Cards

In 2016, Michael and Sasha play the index card game. They come across several cards that mention “Luke” and decide to leave them in the deck. They also digitally scan all of the cards for posterity. While there had been many changes since Sasha started high school, they were still Sasha.

Analysis: Risky Thinking–Some Numbers: US Juvenile Incarceration

For Richard, the effects of that moment on the bus are ongoing. He is still incarcerated, and the narrator continues to explore issues related to juvenile crime through his experiences. As a result of good behavior, Richard’s sentence is shortened and he will not be sent to adult prison. In this section, the narrator describes Richard’s room at Chad and the words of both the judge and Jasmine. However, Richard does not speak for himself in this section. The repercussions of his act of violence have profoundly affected Richard’s life, and the book does not reveal whether he thinks this was justified or if he feels that things have indeed worked out for the best. The only words Richard speaks for himself are when he thanks Karl for recommending that he remain in the juvenile system. The book ends with statistics on how many juveniles are incarcerated and the violence they may have witnessed in their lives. Once again, the author leaves the causes of, and appropriate punishments for, juvenile crimes open to interpretation while laying out concrete statistics.

This section serves to show that Sasha has been able to move on beyond the attack and continues to explore their identity. In this section, Sasha has dinner with Andrew. Although Andrew identifies as a gay transgender man, he notes that he’s discovered it is also difficult to assume a male identity, even as difficult as it was to present himself as female earlier in life. Andrew would rather present as androgynous, but he is held back by the fear of other people’s judgment. Sasha, however, is comfortable with their identity. The next-to-last chapter of the book lists some “Gender-Neutrality Milestones” up through 2017, suggesting that society’s perception of gender is beginning to shift.