In Chapter 1, the setting of the story is the Los Angeles County Courthouse, Juvenile Division. Beckstrand talks to the author and tells him that the first thing to learn about the system in Inglewood is that nothing works. A case opens and the study showing that the detention of minors does not work is called into question. In many cases, it really isn't who wins, or whether anyone gets the will. This part of Los Angeles is a poverty-based, environmental community that really sees the rich. The city is divided by race and economic status. Fear and confusion play a significant role in the criminal justice system due to the large number of cases and facilities unable to process them. The building is condemned and a new judge has taken office as the new commissioner judge. His name is Roosevelt Dorn. Beckstrand is excited to work on Duncan's. His case is well known and infamous and Beckstrand almost hated the child. The offenders in this case are accustomed to a significant number of setbacks in the system and finding his main witness becomes a problem for Beckstrand. Ronald, like the other young delinquents, doesn't seem to care about anything. Chapter 2 opens with a delinquent named Carla James, a smart young girl who gets good grades and puts in her time at school. However, lately she was staying up late at night and her grades were slipping. In fact, she had a gun and another life and went on a drive-by shooting, shocking her family and counselor. Carla's parole officer, Sharon Stegall, notes that more and more cases like Carla's are coming forward, young girls from good families who have no excuse for living a life of crime. Carla hasn't hit anyone, though, so maybe she gets another chance. Carla lost her father when she was nine... middle of paper...... system and court. I think instead of reforming offenders, they let them down because they tend to think they are being lenient. In reality, they do not teach young people the difference between good and evil, but Moreno locks them up and “teaches a lesson”. Finally, Chapter 18 simply focuses on the stress and pressure Dorn faces as a judge. The system is also trying to change to limit certain things in the system dealing with minors. Some of the impacts of the system on these children are negative, leading to increased crime. Beckstrand is transferred to begin handling cases in adult court. Some of the people cited in this book are still fighting to try to win their cases. There are also other people who are still trying to make the juvenile justice system as a whole better, like Dorn..