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The report commenting the NYC teenage detention system should not come with a shock.

The matter of fact is that the system that takes care of those who have exceeded what is acceptable, safe behavior for them, behavior has explained in detail in the codes of conduct from the Board of Education and other civil codes, does not know how to "deal" with these children in a constructive way.

If the children violates civil and often act in a criminal way, the system deals with them as it would with a regular criminal.

The catch with this is this teenage is still "underage" and the system is supposed treat these children differently.

People in the public at large are quite naive at the culture that is being created in our society today and not necessarily just in the NYC school systems. How are teachers expected to deal with students whose main role figure is the criminal who is the main character of Al Pacino's "Scarface."? See all these T-shirts that glorify borderline criminal, murderous figures.

How would you deal with students who given unpteen chances at passing their classes and yet, still fail to come to school the great majority of times?

How is a society who simplistically justify the callous and often borderline criminal behavior of minors by saying that they are the product of failed system, the "victims" who often victimize unsuspecting people in society or quite often members of their own communities?

Nothing that has been said here sheds any light of what is really occurring across many urban school districts and large cities across the nation.

If there is one thing that needs to be addressed is the often lack of correlation between the performance of these "children" and if their parents/guardians get any help from the government, their guardianship, their precarious academic and emotional stewardship of these "children" that their are supposed to be responsible off.

Thanks Lonnie for the understanding word. I agree with your first paragraph and that is what makes this so difficult. Physically or mentally harming these children is unacceptable but they do need discipline and to learn respect. I just didn’t want anyone thinking these are big bad guards beating up on Tiny Tim and Oliver Twist. Just talk to any male authority figure who has had his reputation destroyed by an accusation of rape because no one is going to tell a detainee what to do. I’ve heard from male teacher friends of similar threats.

This problem is a rough one. We use the word: "Children", but that still covers a lot of willful, angry, aggressive 13-17 yr olds (Who by the way are VERY strong)

I, too, initially have the reaction of 'Voter from B'klyn'. But then I remember that most of these kids never had a proper, loving upbringing and practically came of age on the concrete jungle of the streets where anger and bravado rules. They cannot help what they are because they never knew any better.

To punch back at them with force and retaliation only fuels their self-destruction and teaches no lessons. But they ARE actively attempting to keep chaos and discord at a boil. They WILL be disruptive when faced with a classroom or therapeutic setting with other kids. When in contact with other kids in that setting they WILL as the saying goes: "Bring everyone Down with them" So yes, someone who won't stop "laughing out loud" is a problem, especially when he insists: "You don't tell me what to do!" and "DON'T TOUCH ME!". Such a kid will NOT voluntarily leave because he can no longer disrupt. He will not Shut up because it's a Test of Wills. And at the end of the day when he's destroyed the class- he's won.

Whatever methods our Agency comes up with, it should involve humanely separating these hard-core kids from the others who are more willing to go with the program.

There is no talking to a NYC child. I’ve lived in this city 7 years and children raised in this city are abominable. No one can tell them anything. Either they are entitled children of privilege or they’re plain terrors. That said, nothing justifies them being brutalized. You have a gathering storm in this city, the children on one front that don’t have to listen to anyone and “do what they want” and undertrained guards on the other front that don’t have the patience to deal with these undisciplined entitled children and resort to force to assert their authority. It’s bad all around.

I worked as a live-in counselor in Phoenix & Las Vegas. We were supervised by nuns, who would never tolerate phyical abuse (nor was verbal abuse acceptable).

BUT teenage girls can be "awesomely" provocative, they know how to push buttons and are skillful manipulators. So unless the top staff are commited to nonviolence. those who are in hourly contact with residents will be tempted to follow their impulses.

Eventually I learned to look beyond the surface and see the neediness of the girls. Without wise counsel, however, I would never have been able to continue in this challnging job.

You need to look at Missouri's juvenile facilities

Ms. Carrion,

You speak with such anodyne political verbiage--the "challenges" of your agency, for example--that outrage and indeed humanity is absent from your responses.

Are you ashamed that this has occurred in the agency of which you are in charge?