‘American Justice’ offers unfiltered look at how Chicago’s justice system really works
The state’s juvenile system operates in near secrecy, with a mandate of focusing on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Moyer’s firsthand accounts reveal a system so lenient at times that it seems to embolden violent offenders rather than reform them.
“In cases where a kid acts in shocking, violent ways, causing great harm to victims, it can feel like this system designed to handle them so tenderly is simply inviting them to continue on the same violent path,” he writes.
