BY NANCY KIDD Detention is a cold institution where kids have little privacy and where they don’t make a move without getting permission from a staff member. Kids have no access to cell phones, the internet, or any type of social media. Television viewing is limited and closely monitored. Their meals, prepared by inmates at the nearby county jail, consist of a lot of white bread, beans, and rice. Knowing all this, it is unbelievable anyone would ever deliberately want…

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Sixteen-year-old Dave was arrested and brought to detention for battery. The incident occurred at the residential facility where he lived.   As in similar situations, we were aware he might become combative if he became agitated. He never did. In fact, he seemed happy to be in detention, despite the tight restrictions. Unlike most students, he never even complained about the food. One morning the staff surprised the students with news we’d be having a guest speaker that day. University of Illinois…

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