NCJ Number
152784
Date Published
1994
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This specially adapted Phil Donahue program involves Mr. Donahue's interview of kids who have been involved in drug use, violence, and gangs and are beginning to turn their lives around.
Abstract
The kids talk about their motivations and methods for turning their lives around. The video is an edited version of a 1-hour talk show and includes minimal participation by the audience. Some common themes of the juveniles' recounting of some of their life experiences are family dysfunction, including parental sexual abuse and drug use, the attraction of gangs, the need to carry weapons for protection, and the use of violence as a common means of punishing others for perceived wrongs. Regarding the attraction of gangs in urban neighborhoods, one youth comments that the gang functions as a family in the absence of caring and protective parents. As Mr. Donahue queries the juveniles about their rehabilitative experiences, a number of the juveniles give credit to counselors who have helped them reflect upon their behaviors and their consequences for their futures.