Children of the State: Stories of Survival and Hope in the Juvenile Justice System

by Jeff Hobbs

From the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace comes “an eye-opening, fully humanizing, deeply affecting look at the often-misunderstood juvenile justice system and its inhabitants—young people of earnestness, disappointment, hope, and resilience” ( Booklist , starred review).

For many kids, a mistake made at age thirteen or fourteen—often resulting from external factors coupled with a biologically immature brain—can resonate through the rest of their lives, making high school difficult, college nearly impossible, and a middle-class life a mere fantasy. In Children of the State , Jeff Hobbs challenges any preconceived perceptions about how the juvenile justice system works—and demonstrates in brilliant, piercing No one so young should ever be considered irredeemable.

Writing with great heart and sensitivity, Hobbs “offers finely wrought portraits of the teenagers in juvenile hall, as well as the educators and counselors trying to help them find safe passage back to—and through—the real world” ( Los Angeles Times ). While serving a year-long detention in Wilmington, Delaware, a bright young man considers both the benefits and the immense costs of striving for college acceptance while imprisoned. A career juvenile hall English Language Arts teacher struggles to align the small moments of wonder in her work alongside its statistical futility. A territorial fistfight in Paterson, New Jersey, is called a hate crime by the media and the boy held accountable seeks redemption and friendship in a demanding Life & Professional Skills class in lower Manhattan. Through these stories, Hobbs creates intimate portraits of these individuals as they struggle to make good decisions amidst the challenges of overcoming their pasts, and also What should society do with young people who have made terrible mistakes?

“At turns touching and intimate, enraging and honest” (Matthew Desmond), Children of the State masterfully blends personal stories with larger questions about race, class, prison reform, justice, and even about the concept of “fate.”

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, True Crime, Audiobook, Social Justice, Crime

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2023

About the author

Jeff Hobbs grew up in Kennett Square, PA and graduated from Yale in 2002 with a BA in English Language and Literature. He is the author of Seeking Shelter (and Amazon Best Book of 2025 so far) and The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace (winner of the LA Times Book Prize and NY Times notable book of the year), Show Them You’re Good, and Children of the State. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. He does not like criticizing the work of others and so only posts books on Goodreads to which he can earnestly give four or five stars.

Reviews

[Petra X]

I had thought that Juvenile Hall was a kind of youth prison, but it is more akin to the UK Secure Training Centres for 12-17 year olds where school education is the majority priority. This book concentrates on four kids, their home life, their personalities, how they are in the institution. Problem is these are not really good kids who made 'a mistake'. They are really badly behaved disruptive kids who steal cars (one liked stealing cop cars, I don't think he's going to turn out to be college material), carry guns, talk about dealing drugs. But the author presents them all as really good kids inside that are just a little hard to convince that aiming for a $25 an hour job is better than their idea of $1,000 a day on the streets.

That basic disconnect of the author making out they are really good kids and knowing that they really aren't makes the book kind of difficult to read, I can't identify with the author's point of view. The book is also really repetitive but I suppose any book about an institution is going to be that.

I'll probably finish it but if I lost it tomorrow I wouldn't buy another one to replace it.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 It is said that America is the most prosperous nation on earth. The home of free and the brave Where there is justice for all and that there is no problem we can't solve or fix if we do it together. But, is this true? Any of it? Maybe for some but for many, not at all. Granted, social issues, injustices are the hardest to fix. It is easier to turn away, to blame the victim. After all, it's easy to Believe this can't happen to you or yours, so is it your problem. In this book we are introduced to one segment of society that is paid little attention. Throw away kids, kids in juvenile detention, those some have decided have little future. Luckily, there are angels among is. Men and women who teach, monitor and work with these young people and in this book we meet some of them. They hope to provide enough strength, knowledge and skills for them to come out of their sentences with a chance at a better life. Successes are few and there are many reasons why.

We meet a few of the boys, learn their stories, what their days in detention entail, what they regret, hope for, how they survive. Is there any wonder that many return or end up in prison, when they are returned to the same home, environment, neighborhood that got them here to begin with? How to fix this since it is evident that in order to succeed many things have to change, improve. Violent neighborhoods, policing, sub par schools, employment opportunities, etc. Takes money, programs, caring. It's easier to look away and ignore certain segments of our society.

This book was eye opening to me in many ways. There is some repetition as is expected because some that is within, overlaps. To the angels among us, the teachers, the program administrators, the social workers, those who never stop caring, who hope to save even one among many, I say thank you.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strong work of immersion journalism about the juvenile justice system. As with many books like this, especially those focused on vulnerable kids, it left me with some questions about the author’s methodology, and it’s much stronger on the storytelling than it is on policy questions or recommendations for the future. But the storytelling is really strong, putting you in the shoes of boys (it is almost exclusively about boys, who are more often arrested, and also perhaps because that’s where Jeff Hobbs felt most comfortable) in the system and the educators who work with them. So I think it is a good read, both for knowledge of a slice of life most of us never see, and for increasing empathy and understanding.

The book is divided into three sections, consecutive rather than woven together. The first follows a boy named Josiah in Delaware, who has had a rough childhood (including witnessing multiple murders) and gets involved in a violent robbery the minute he’s released from a low-security sentence, thus landing him in a secure juvenile facility for his last year of high school. The second focuses on a facility in San Francisco where children are held awaiting trial—perhaps because this is usually very short-term, this section focuses primarily on an English teacher who is very invested in the kids, and also on the school principal. The third is about a kid named Ian, who is arrested after a fight between boys goes badly wrong, and winds up in a diversion program in New York that aims to prepare kids for the professional world.

I found all three sections quite compelling, but especially the first and third. The book doesn’t shy away from how difficult these kids tend to be, but at the same time, portrays its protagonists and their inner lives with a great deal of nuance, empathy and sophistication—so much that I really wanted to know more about where Hobbs got all this, honestly. Especially with Josiah, who seemed very closed-off—did the author see a completely different side of him than is ever shown in the book? And if so, why isn’t this shown in the book? And to what extent did having the very close and trusting relationship with an adult that would’ve been required for him to share all this affect Josiah’s ability to turn his life around?

Meanwhile, having educators as his entry point to the system seems to influence the author’s writing. When he’s speaking generally about juvenile incarceration, he’s opposed, arguing that being locked up at that formative age is particularly brutal and will crush a kid’s spirit, causing them to take on the identity of criminal and struggle to become anything else. However, his actual stories don’t tend to reflect this, often focusing on how amazing the adults working in juvenile facilities are (to be fair, the ones he focuses on do seem amazing, which is perhaps why they participated in this project at all), and on how being locked up can give a kid educational opportunities they’re skipping out on in the outside world. (Of the major characters, only with Ian did I get the sense that his stint in detention was unnecessary and harmful.) Hobbs is pretty hard on the group in San Francisco working to abolish the juvenile detention center, even as he himself suggests elsewhere that juvenile detention should be abolished.

Overall though, a really interesting work. Because COVID-19 hit about halfway through his observation, we wind up seeing a lot about how that affected incarcerated kids, which is interesting though exhausting (lots of bureaucratic stupidity, including things like eliminating outdoor rec time!). It was also interesting to learn a bit about juvenile detention more broadly—the U.S. seems to be moving in the right direction, with only about 10% of the number of incarcerated kids as we had in the 90s, and conditions generally much better: from these stories, for instance, the shift from having guards to counselors seems to be genuine, even as many of them are too drained by their work to actually provide much emotional support or guidance. We see a lot of the influences that lead kids to this situation—namely, poverty, trauma, and belonging to marginalized communities—as well as some potential ways out: the diversion program in the final section seems great at setting kids on a new path, but requires exceptional teachers as well as community buy-in from those offering internships, etc. And while these kids have hard lives with no fairy-tale endings, the conclusion is hopeful for both Ian and Josiah. Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the experiences of the most disadvantaged kids and those who work with them.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an informational and moving book. Hobbs (who wrote The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League which I thought was outstanding) looks at three facilities (one in San Francisco, one in Delaware, and one in New York City) which serve as holding institutions for teens who have entered the prison system but are not yet serving "hard time." Each facility (or in New York City, a program, not a facility, called "Exalt") takes a slightly different approach in handling the teens there.

The programs chosen are all well-intentioned, staffed by caring (if often traumatized by the pain and suffering of the children they attend) people who do their best to help the children turn their lives around, benefit at least by getting high school credits and gain some awareness into their behavior. But the two residential programs also highlight the inherent flaws of a system which marks its inmates forever and rarely succeeds in helping change the direction of their lives. In fact, data shows that programs that keep children out of residential facilities are much more successful and the current system seems intrinsically flawed and crippling.

Hobbs also addresses the relationship between the systems of addressing behavior and systemic racism. Few of the incarcerated youths are white: those who come into contact with the criminal system are usually diverted to alternative programs.

I'm continually shocked as well by what behaviors are now addressed with arrests and punishment. When I was growing up, there were often fights but the kids were disciplined within the school--not arrested, certainly not when no weapons were involved. I know of kids arrested and incarcerated for truancy. And of course the youths most affected by these measures are the most vulnerable: poor, often without families that are able to emotionally--or financially support them, few resources, and, of course, generally of color.

I had to take a break before reading the last section. I was so saddened and overwhelmed by the suffering of these teens, the challenges faced by their teachers (in the school programs) as well as by youths facing enormous difficulties in turning around their lives and often (maybe even usually) failing. More than one teacher, administrator, or other staffer stated that they felt a child was a success if they were alive 5 years after leaving their program (the residential ones) even if they're in jail since so many died.

With clear writing, if a little repetitive, Hobbs illuminates a system which repeatedly fails to effect positive changes and the loss of so many lives both literally or in terms of productive or fulfilling. Hobbs ends with a nod to the work currently being done to fix a failing system.

[Rachel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book offers a look at the juvenile justice system in a couple different U.S. states, through the in-depth stories of some of the teens in the system.

I liked it overall, especially the parts that detailed how the education system worked in the different facilities.

However, I felt it was a little long and repetitive at times, and there was a lot of profanity - and not all of it was as quotes, which I always find unprofessional. The names of God and Jesus were used as exclamations occasionally in the quotes from students.

I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Kathy (Bermudaonion) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Hobbs spent several years observing youth in three different juvenile correctional facilities and writes about them in CHILDREN OF THE STATE. When he reports on two of the facilities, he focuses on a child in the system and at the third, he focuses on a teacher.

I like to read about social justice so I wasn’t all that surprised to learn that all of the children in these facilities are poor and most of them are black or brown. I was impressed by the teachers who work with and advocate for their students but it’s not enough. Hobbs doesn’t offer solutions but attempts to show what life is like for children mired in the system.

[Priscilla King · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Fair disclosure: I received a free preview copy of this book from the author. It is still a brutally honest review.)

The research for a sociological study can be written up as a formal scientific paper, or as the story or stories people told the researcher. This is the story version. Hobbs visited a few "reform school" programs, one prison-like, one that tried to be more prep-school-like, and one day program for students on probation. His stories focus on a boy who complains about slow classes and works his way into college in the prison-like reform school, a teacher who does her job but feels frustrated at the preppier school, and a boy who, despite his intelligence and concerned father, washes out of the day program (buddies matter more to him than a girlfriend does).

What's not to like is the party-line patter about the students being put in these programs, rather than on probation, because of "racism" when it's obvious that they're treated as they are because of poverty. But that takes up only a small part of this book. Mostly it's believable stories, with a detailed explanation of what's true and what's fictionalized, about real young adults; the teacher is young too.

Who should read this book? Mostly, of course, those who work with young people at risk of ruining their lives. "Early intervention" may seem to presuppose government employees, but employers probably have a better chance of success.

However, because Hobbs decided to focus on introverts, he's also written readable, relatable stories that teenagers might discover for themselves. This book could appeal to teenagers who like to read, and might serve not only as a warning but as a way to reduce prejudice against ex-offenders they may meet at work or college.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Hobbs uses the stories of several children and adults involved with the juvenile justice system to illustrate the challenges the system faces, and the small, but significant, improvements that are being made.

Hobbs says that children everywhere make mistakes and do dumb things. But as police officers and prosecutors make the decisions on who to arrest, who to charge, and whether to send them home with probation or send them to a juvenile facility, their decisions often are influenced by systemic racism, familial/community support and money. In other words, kids in middle class and upper class families are less likely to be arrested in the first place, and have the resources to hire lawyers to demonstrate that the child in question will be supported if put on probation. Poor families can't do that, and so their kids end up in juvenile facilities.

Hobbs features two different facilities - one in Delaware and one in San Francisco - and one intensive non-profit program in New York City. He chooses to focus primarily on two kids, Josiah and Ian, and several staff members at the three facilities. Through these lenses, you are introduced to the juvenile justice system in three different areas of the country. While there are differences in how different states treat juveniles and where they are incarcerated, there are similarities, including the mandate to educate and rehabilitate children so they are less likely to commit crimes in the future. The adults featured in his book struggle with this mandate as they struggle through the COVID-19 outbreak, and general budgetary issues that all governmental agencies deal with. The kids are trying to figure out how to survive the experience of juvenile hall and how they can change their trajectories, even a little, to stay out of the penal system.

Hobbs has written a very compelling book that focuses on the good being done in the area of juvenile justice, but also doesn't shy away from sharing what still isn't working well. Hobbs doesn't try to offer answers or really even commentary on what happens, but simply reports the stories as it was told to him.

If you are interested in the justice system in the U.S., you will find this book fascinating and informative. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

[Autumn Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

not what I was expecting.

it's an unfinished story. because it's a real life story. and it opens your eyes and gets you thinking.

[Korin: A Crone Running Amok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children of the State by Jeff Hobbs

I have once again been emotionally battered at the hands of a book. This is a work of nonfiction so traumatizing and yet so good I couldn't put it down.Jeff Hobbs a long time journalist takes on the juvenile Justice system with gloves completely off. He is unafraid of ruffling feathers with his truths.

The book is split in the three parts the first entitled residence takes on the ferris school in Wilmington Delaware. It follows the story of A year-long detention in one of the most violent crime capitals in America and concerns a bright young man trying to benefit from the system manage college and make a difference in life. It is inevitable that he eventually fails.

The second story, entitled education takes us to Woodside learning center in San Francisco California. Here Hobbs follows a career juvenile hall English teacher working in a facility that the local government is in the process of shutting down.

The final book entitled exile takes place in exalt New York in the borough of Manhattan and concerns a young boy who's held accountable for a hate crime trying to achieve redemption.

And it's entirety Children of the state is a frightening but truthful commentary on what we do to children inside the justice system.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

The description of this book is misleading for what the content actually contains. This is very much the juvenile justice system during COVID, not in general, which is not anywhere in the description. Circumstances changed quickly and dramatically (which the author does talk about) during that time. I also just personally could not engage with the writing style. It never really drew me in to the stories. The most interesting story was that of Exalt in NYC. It was definitely the part where I felt the most hope in the system. I did appreciate the narration having a different speaker for each "book" within the novel.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and true account of how the juvenile justice, (and education) system are severely broken in this nation. The inequities throughout the juvenile system is shameful. Those who are passionate and committed to working with the most troubled youth deserve our utmost respect. Schools that specifically support these youth in small settings with the necessary mental health support, transition educational programs and practice (internships) of real world (job, financial literacy, etc.) experiences to encourage success in life for these youth should not be shut down. I write this review from my own many years of personal teaching experiences in these and other school environments. I watched in heartache as these youth have been, and continue to be repeatedly, "lost in our system." We MUST do better!

[nada ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was very moving and powerful to read some of these stories, I especially appreciated getting the perspectives of the educators in these spaces since we can so often lump them with the injustices around incarcerated children. I wish there had been some stronger language about just how messed up it is, but I may be thinking of content that better suits a different book on juvenile detention

[Alexandra (birdyreads)]

Overall this was an interesting and ingightful book. The many different perspectives helped provide a larger picture to the juvenile justice system. I would most certainly recommend this to anyone who comes into regular contact with troubled youth.

[Martha Anne Toll]

Here’s my review of this book for NPR https://www.npr.org/2023/01/25/115072...

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my typical choice of book but this was a great read that challenges what we think about children and the justice system

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Hobbs, who wrote the bestselling and widely acclaimed THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OF ROBERT PEACE, turns his investigative eye and warm storytelling to our nation’s incarcerated youth in CHILDREN OF THE STATE.

In an emotional and electrifying author’s note, Hobbs explains his approach to this book. In 2019, he spent significant time in three different spaces within the juvenile justice system. Two of them were secure placement facilities, while the third was a respected diversion program dedicated to helping young people avoid further contact with the legal system while reclaiming forward movement in their lives. While Hobbs had previous connections with each of the locations he profiles, he notes that this did not make his writing easier, just less complicated.

As part of his research, Hobbs spent one week per month at each location, participating in every aspect of the juveniles’ days --- from exercise at 7:00am to recreation time after dinner and all of the English, math and social studies classes in between. While his research was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic (a tragedy that put an end to most of the youths’ imprisonments and access to rehabilitative care), he continued to keep in touch with as many of his characters as possible.

CHILDREN OF THE STATE is divided into three “books,” beginning with “Residence,” the story of the incarceration of Josiah Wright, who was arrested for property destruction and assault, a common offense for many of his peers. Originally detained for 11 months, Josiah was released only to end up violating his parole and being given a harsher, more severe sentence of a full year. During this time, he was held at the Ferris School for Boys, the sole youth residential facility in Delaware for the last hundred years. The school operates under the purview of the state’s Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families. It is ostensibly aimed at rehabilitating at-risk youth and sending them on a better path in society. But as readers will more than likely expect, the intentions do not often match the results.

Right from the start, Hobbs’ profile of Josiah is tender yet realistic. He notes that Josiah --- who witnessed three deaths, two of them violent, before even encountering the judicial system himself --- is prone to posturing, a defense mechanism employed by many of his peers that often results in a self-fulfilling prophecy of disengagement, frustration and anger. Still a child, Josiah is not stupid or narcissistic, but he has been condemned to a path of recidivism because of a foolish, impulsive decision, the likes of which are committed by any number of white, Black or Latine children every day. Yet it is always the Black and brown people who are persecuted more strongly and wind up in residential facilities like the Ferris School. Josiah is self-aware enough to recognize the path he is on (and, on a smaller scale, the inevitability of his winding up on it). During the course of Hobbs’ yearlong profile of him, he debates with great maturity and wisdom the pros and cons of pursuing a college education.

In the second book, “Education,” Hobbs relocates to the Woodside Learning Center in San Francisco, a court facility that houses juvenile arrestees awaiting sentencing but who are deemed unfit to be free in the meantime. While he again introduces several youths similar to Josiah, he focuses here on language arts teacher Megan Mercurio and principal Chris Lanier. Both dedicated to teaching and counseling their students, Megan and Chris are invigorated by small wins --- a smile, a breakthrough, a fleeting moment of compassion --- while equally beleaguered by poor funding, meager resources and the inevitability that many of the children they teach will either wind up in prison, dead or both. Even worse, the student they form a bond with today could be murdered tomorrow upon release…and their murderer (if he is a teen himself) may be sitting in their classrooms the next day.

When we meet Megan and Chris, the city of San Francisco has announced that they will be redesigning and reforming facilities like Woodside. But this apparent step forward lacks some serious groundwork: the men and women who have made careers out of caring for their students and putting their own hearts and bodies at risk have not been considered or consulted in the reforms. Even worse, Woodside has been given a closing date --- a win for social justice reform advocates, but a decision that, without a solid alternative, will likely harm more children than it helps. While Megan, Chris and their peers are aware of the fine line they walk between wanting to help students without condemning them to a lifetime of institutions, incarcerations and recidivism, they feel unheard, unsupported and untrusted, despite giving so much of themselves to the cause.

Finally, in the third book, “Exile,” Hobbs turns his investigative eye to Exalt Youth. This New York City-based nonprofit helps youths who already have entered the juvenile justice system find new paths forward with internships and jobs, which are typically inaccessible to anyone with a record. The most promising facility profiled here, Exalt Youth provides a resounding glimmer of hope. Still, though, Hobbs cannot hide the truth: programs like these can only help so much. Without proper support, financial means and training, along with emotional awareness, many of the youths who are given positions cannot hold them. Or if they can, they find the internships meaningless as their families and peers struggle to keep food on the table or pay rent at their minimum-wage jobs.

While this portion of the book is perhaps the most uplifting, Hobbs is careful not to sugarcoat the successes. The young men and women who are able to enter predominantly white and wealthy spaces and succeed are exceptions, not rules, and the trauma that these endeavors often causes is not always equal to the rewards.

The throughline of this impressively researched and reported narrative is one that readers have likely heard before, but perhaps never considered on a personal scale. First, Black and brown youths are too often persecuted and prosecuted at rates unequal to their white peers. Second, too many prosecutors, jailers and legislators view these literal children as career criminal adults. And third, even with rehabilitative measures, many of the children who encounter the juvenile justice system just once will more than likely reoffend or die by violent, pointless and unnecessary means.

Just as he did in THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OF ROBERT PEACE, Hobbs presents a fully fleshed-out, sobering and well-argued case for reform. The solution, he argues, will come when citizens, police officers and lawmakers start to think of children as redeemable and worthy rather than embarrassing marks on our (let’s face it, less than stellar) national reputation.

Reviewed by Rebecca Munro

[Nawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book - I was engrossed the whole time. The stories brought me to tears multiple times. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the juvenile justice system from a human perspective.

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to skim a majority of this book. It had a lot of potential but I didn't enjoy the format. It had too much internal thoughts and feelings that I didn't feel the author could have as an observer. Itmade the book seem more like realistic fiction than the non-fiction it was supposed to be

[Pete Dematteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

mr. hobbs has certainly matured immensely from his days writing THE TOURIST. he has always been a sociologist of sorts and his works are arresting, indeed. he sides with the underdog and seems to abhor the monetarily successful with a passion, especially manhattanites who are experiencing the isolation and loneliness that only living amidst its streets can provide. i encourage him to write more even though he ignores and/or was unaware of my facebook compliments on his precious works. i would have enjoyed reading about any 'solutions' to the topic of the juvenile challenged kids. also, i would have like to hear him write of his opinions towards topics such as: bootcamps, military correctional options, etc, instead of such conventional penal institutes, except for the entity in manhattan, which was funded by intellectual elitists instead of governmental figures. also, why weren't any counterproductive or behaviorally challenged counselors written about? the book sounded borderline pollyannish in that respect. where all of the staff members as kind-hearted as the gal who planted flowers with the kids in beautiful san francisco? why didn't mr. hobbs consider hangin' out and investigating the horizon entity in the cussed south bronx? anyhow, this man had vast talent and endless compassion, indeed, for those down on their luck, indeed, and would be a potentially brilliant member should he join the online group WRITEAPRISONER.COM. we need him there, indeed!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get to finish this book before I had to get it back into the system. Read about 1/3 to page 133 which was actually a nice point to make a break at the end of a section. This book is about the school-to-prison pipeline and life in the juvenile “justice” system as one of the tag lines noted. While I did learn more about the cycle for the poor and underserved that keeps them "hand-cuffed" into a place from which it is very difficult to escape financially, support-wise from friends and family, and emotionally, I just didn't find myself as invested in this book as I was with the Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace.

I'm clear on the book's message. The track the down-trodden get on is ugly and it doesn't speak well of our "justice " system for how difficult it is to get a fair shake that enables people to get off the worn-out track. The book noted a few decent counselors at the juvenile detention center/"school" in Wilmington Delaware but too many just check a box and do the bare minimum.

I recommend the book, and that said, if you have time for only one Jeff Hobbs' book, I HIGHLY recommend The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace or read both!

[Hannah MacLean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd probably give this one a 3.75, but we can round this up to 4. I really appreciated the perspective of several different children in the juvenile detention system as well as the perspectives of some of the staff and teachers working with the minors. I think this book does a good job of providing descriptions of what this system looks like.

I also think the blurb is correct in that this particular population is underrepresented in current nonfiction literature. This books is absolutely a valuable insight into this world. It definitely isn't for the faint of heart, and Hobbs doesn't sugarcoat it.

That said, it felt slow at times and a bit disjointed. This might be a product of the fact that the book was comprised largely of vignettes of different people from different places (both geographically and in terms of life paths) whose lives have never crossed paths. Furthermore, I felt like there was no real "end" in mind here. The book was entirely descriptive, and maybe that's its main goal, but it felt incomplete to me. I would have preferred something a little more actionable, but there's nothing prescriptive here.

[Kaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Children of the State was an interesting look into various kids who were locked up in the juvenile prison. Each of the 4 stories start with a deeper understanding of how the system has evolved for kids and what it looked like in 2019 (sadly, this book seemed to be impacted quite a bit by COVID in 2023, along with the kids who were living in these detention centers). The start of being "up for adoption" and the reformatory schools to kids getting sent to San Quintin at a young age, it took so long for the USA to feel like they could find a good place to put these kids and focus on education and overcoming the past.

I have to give mad props to the teachers, librarians, and everyone trying to make an impact on these kids' lives because it seems like no matter what they taught in the schools while the kids were locked up, they mostly seemed to default back to lives of crime, revenge, or possible gang related activity.

Overall, this was a good reminder on how people who are poor, homeless, or don't have family to take care of them, struggle more to evade sentencing and end up in harder lives from home and from the justice system.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had some insight into the juvenile justice system by believing it was composed of unruly kids destined to have a criminal future and employees who worked a job, drew a paycheck, and slept well after leaving work. I could not have been more wrong. Jeff Hobbs paints a realistic picture of a world deserving support from a public who has no clue of the daily operations, problems, and the importance of desperately seeking to be a positive difference in a troubled child's life. This book gave me a dose of the reality of the fragile lives that should not be looked upon as negative, a person whose bad choices hinder society, but as young people who need compassion, attention, and someone to believe there is good in all of them. These stories will open your eyes and your heart to compassion for the children surviving within the system and those who serve as heroes as they give their all to make a difference for the sake (and future) of these children. Beautifully written. 5+ stars.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite nonfiction reads from this year I think. The author presents juvenile detention in a humane, nuanced way, by not only giving the spotlight to children and teens affected by it, but also to the adults that are trying to manage within a flawed system. This was written very intimately and engaged me from start to finish, making me think about what society terms as "success" and also the power of consequences and forgiveness. I was happy to learn about programs such as 'exalt' in NYC and the publicly unknown forces in San Francisco who have given their lives for incarcerated youth.
 
In future conversations about the prison-industrial complex, I hope to be a little more cognizant about the role of juvenile detention. Some may scoff at the concept of "children are an oppressed class", but even if this book did not intend to answer that question directly, there's a lot to consider in that regard. 

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction account of three individuals involved in the U.S.'s dysfunctional juvenile justice system grapples with questions:
What should society do with young, not-yet-baked human beings who have made dreadful mistakes?
How did we get to where we are not with the juvenile justice system? And where's it headed?
What are the day-to-day challenges faced by those living in the system, and by those educators and counselors working within these systems?
A work of immersive journalism well-done, full of empathy and humanity that successfully casts light into the dark spaces of the American justice system and the children within it. 
"The hardest task would always be changing people's minds--"

[Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

[Andrea George · Rating 4 out of 5]

In reading the synopsis of "Children Of The State: Stories of Survival and Hope in The Juvenile Justice System" by Jeff Hobbs, I was intrigued enough to want to read the book in its entirety. I feel that Mr. Hobbs did a good job of offering the readers an insight into the juvenile justice system. I found the history and background to be very informative.
As stated in the summary, Mr. Hobbs focuses on three different stories that follow the the day-to-day lives and challenges of juveniles living in and individuals working in the juvenile justice system in San Francisco, Delaware, and New York City.
This non-fiction novel would be a good read for anyone contemplating a career in the juvenile justice system, or anyone curious about the system in general.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the in-depth reporting Hobbs did to explore the lives of these young people and their educators in three different types of programs within the juvenile justice system. Unbeknownst to him, Hobbs was thrown into the upheaval caused by COVID-19 just as he was getting to the heart of things. So this book is shaped by that, but also quietly shaped by Hobbs' self-reflection and humility, reflected in the foreword and afterword. He has clearly examined his own positionality, rather than taken it for granted, which I think is both essential and often overlooked. The content itself interests me because of my career as a social worker, though I felt as powerless to change anything after reading it as many of his subjects did. Still, I feel better informed now than before I read it.

[Nicole Keech · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children of the State - Jeff Hobbs

I enjoy the important journalistic work of Jeff Hobbs. Children of the State was a personal read for me as a teacher. I saw many of the students I’ve taught over the last 10 years within these pages - funny, needy, hopeful, full of individuality, and often finding themselves in crappy circumstances through no fault of their own. Unfortunately the Covid epidemic upended the latter part of this research project, where Hobbs observed three sectors of juvenile justice - a juvenile justice program, a temporary court-ordered facility program, and a nonprofit diversion program. Each location gave us stories to both sadden and inspire us and reminded me of the daily impact we have on youth.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Hobbs writes what he calls "immersive journalism," and I'd say "Children of the State" fits that bill entirely. It would be impossible to cover all aspects of the juvenile justice system all around the country, so he picks three examples of different programs in various parts of the US. The result is both encouraging and not. There are a lot of people working very hard in this book--teachers, administrators, and students--but the sense of so much possibility going to waste is heartbreaking. Nonetheless, with each person so well and deeply drawn, readers will be glued to the page. An excellent piece of non-fiction writing.