JDC memories

So I was chatting online with a friend of mine who I worked at the juvenile detention center (JDC) with back in Lexington, KY. She was telling me that she ran into one the kids tonight at Applebee's that was always in and out of jail. I was like, "whoa, I thought he got 25 years" (he was convicted as an adult at age 17 for Robbery 1st). So apparently for some reason he's out. At any rate, she was telling me that he was in college, getting a business degree. He has a job and was pleasantly polite to her and her husband. Even gave her a hug. Now, knowing kid--the fact that he was polite amazed me the most. He ran his mouth more than any other kid I ever remember in that jail. Not to say I didn't like him, I did in fact. He just had a smart mouth and never quit talking. I never had a problem with him personally (I didn't have problems with any of the kids really) but a lot of really good officers did have issues with him. He was very disrespectful to a lot of people was his biggest downfall.

At any rate, it's hearing things like that that make the fact that I even worked there worthwhile. I LOVED my job there. Loved it. That may come as a shock to a lot of people who have heard me gripe about it, but truth be told, I loved what I did there. What I hated was all the negativity that came with working in a jail. And the sad part is that most of the negativity came from the officers and not the kids. On the days when I could go in there, focus on just my job and taking care of the kids, and not have to deal with the BS of other people working there, I had a great time. But what can I say, it was a jail, not DisneyLand, the happiest place on earth. The kids were there for a reason (whether it was their own doing, or their circumstances). But it's always encouraging to hear that some of those kids have changed their lives. I don't know that there was one kid that I ever got to know in there that I didn't see some kind of potential in. Now, I may be blocking out some of the bad ones, but I pretty much remember those too, some even more vividly--especially the ones we had to restraint, pepper spray or had altercations with.

Anyway, just knowing that hopefully something I did, or someone else did, can help a misguided youth turn their life around is an awesome thing. Now, this kid in particular, I doubt that I had any impact on him other than maybe just giving him some respect that I in turn got back from him. But I know that if he can do something with his life, then any of the rest of them can. I always think its cool when Ms. Rogers (former jail co-worker) tells me that she saw one of the kids, either in jail or on the street, and they asked about me. That encourages me that my two years-ish there wasn't a total waste of time (which I totally felt like when I did eventually quit).