Burning Down the House

Starred review from April 7, 2014
Award-winning journalist Bernstein (All Alone in the World) turns her attention to the U.S. juvenile justice system in which more than 66,000 youths are confined. Many young people in large detention centers live under “constant surveillance,” fearful of beatings, rape, solitary confinement, or being denied showers, companionship, and adequate food. Such is the grim reality of a system that removes two elements central to adolescent development—connection and autonomy—and, as Bernstein documents, drives low-level delinquents deeper into criminality. With considerable empathy, Bernstein introduces adolescents in and out of detention centers, capturing their struggles to overcome traumatic histories. She covers the rise of the “super-predator myth” in the late 1980s/early 1990s that led to increased rates of juvenile incarceration and more stringent laws (“three strikes”), as well as the wave of reform that resulted in a 39% drop in incarceration in the past decade. She interviews reform-minded administrators like Tom Decker, director of Missouri’s juvenile justice system, a model for other states because of its acclaimed network of small, non-institutional placements and low rates of recidivism. Visiting “therapeutic” prisons in Minnesota, California, and New York, she concludes that no matter how much effort goes into creating “a kinder, gentler prison,” these institutions remain embedded in a larger culture that seems impervious to reform. Passionate, thoughtful, and well-researched, this is a resounding call to action. Agent: Kathleen Anderson, Anderson Literary Management.

May 1, 2014
An investigation of the American juvenile justice system, seen as too fundamentally corrosive to be reformed."The story of juvenile justice," writes Bernstein (All Alone in the World: Children of the Incarcerated, 2005), "is often told in terms of pendulum swings between the opposing goals of rehabilitation and punishment." Today, although cash-strapped states have incentive to modify restrictive facilities, the retributive attitudes formed during the tough-on-crime 1980s and '90s are more resistant to change. The author argues that even as rates of violent crime committed by juveniles have fallen, an obsession developed for punitive confinement of what she terms "other people's children," epitomized in the '90s by the debunked "super-predator" theory. She notes that over the past several decades, most states have expanded their juvenile detention systems so that they now resemble adult imprisonment. In addition, such confinement is generally reserved for the poor and minority youngsters, whereas white and suburban kids are usually allowed to "grow out" of their juvenile infractions-"for poor kids of color, getting locked up takes appallingly little." While Bernstein argues the fundamental wrongness of treating children like adult offenders, she is more outraged by the actual conditions that have persisted through sporadic periods of investigation and reform in many state systems. She documents a disturbing litany of violence and endemic sexual abuse, frequently at the hands of guards: "Unprotected, young people learn they are unworthy of protection." The many former prisoners whose experiences Bernstein documents convince her that the system is beyond repair, even though she encounters compassionate administrators who concur that "understanding the nihilism that can afflict traumatized children opens the door to imagining alternatives" beyond incarceration. The author concludes by asserting that despite massive investments, the current system "[does] not recognize these children's fundamental humanity."The combination of muckraking research and absolutism make the book passionate and convincing as advocacy, though conservative readers may be less moved.

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February 1, 2015

Bernstein outlines the history of juvenile "reform" schools, the rise and fall of the rehabilitative model, and the reality of what happens behind bars to already traumatized teens: further physical, sexual, and mental abuse. The author takes a look at solitary confinement practices, "therapeutic prisons," and juvenile reentry. Using solid teen developmental theory and research, United Nations findings, and trauma-informed care, this title articulately sets forth the argument against the imprisonment of children. A passionate advocate for young people, Bernstein highlights teen voices and experiences throughout the book, adding humanity and insight to the statistics. Burning Down the House brings this issue to national attention. Readers meet influential adults such as Jerome Miller, who closed down the entire system in Massachusetts in the '70s, and Gladys Carrion, Chief Commissioner of New York, who not only closed down 18 state facilities by 2012 and halved the number of incarcerated kids, but also diverted $74 million to support community-based alternatives to incarceration. Teens interested in history, social sciences, and one of the biggest issues facing young adults in the U.S. will find lots to love in this book.-Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Juvenile Hall, CA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016

Supported by true stories of juvenile offenders, Bernstein makes the case that the system abuses rather than helps. She instead calls for rehabilitative programs such as special foster care placements and intensive family counseling.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.