Burned: Life In Texas' Youth Prisons

About the Project

Burned follows a year in the lives of two boys incarcerated in Texas' scandal-plagued juvenile justice system. Though his original sentence was just nine months, Joseph eventually served five years for molesting a younger sibling. Released at 19, he struggles to adjust to life in a small Texas town where everyone knows everyone else's business. Meanwhile, Justin Cannon awaits trial for an escape attempt made after a prison psychologist told him he would probably spend his life locked up. Through these tense, personal narratives, Burned asks whether the state's juvenile justice system is fulfilling its mission of rehabilitating young adults, and, if so, why as many as 75% of incarcerated kids go on to serve prison time as adults.

In Texas, as in most states, the juvenile justice system has a long history of attempted reforms that quickly fall back into old patterns of institutional abuse and neglect. Recent efforts by the Texas Legislature have taken beginning steps toward creating a system that puts more resources toward treating youth within their communities through violence prevention and early intervention efforts. If these reforms are to have a lasting effect, however, there must be continued public awareness and support for the need to treat delinquent behavior at pre-crisis levels, rather than resorting to century-old incarceration models that graduate adult career criminals at an alarming rate. This film will be of assistance in these continuing efforts to keep the spotlight on juvenile justice in Texas and across the nation.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to support Burned: Life in Texas' Youth Prisons because we believe now is the time to think about justice reform in the United States and that reform must start with the youth system. Currently doing far more harm than good, our justice system is exposed in this powerful film and we believe it inspires people to demand change in their communities.