Tries to run, but he don't get far. And his Mama cries.*

Joshua R.
1987 - 2005

I first met Joshua R. last November, shortly before I met his older brother, Jason. Each kid was facing charges arising out of high speed chases in stolen cars. When I looked into the room full of in-custodies for Jason on the day of his pretrial hearing, I could tell straight away which one was him; he was a slightly older-looking carbon copy of his handsome young brother. I remember I jokingly asked Jason if methamphetamine-fueled high speed chases in stolen cars was some sort of family tradition. Jason smiled and took a hundred and twenty days, which would have got him out around January of this year.

In December of 2004, Joshua was sent from Juvenile Hall to placement in a group home. In February, he absconded from the group home, only to be arrested two months later after getting in a fight with his girlfriend.

The last time I saw Joshua was on May 5, when he was sentenced to 180 days in Juvenile Hall.

Last month, I noticed Joshua's name on the court calendar for termination of probation. The probation department was requesting termination of probation because Joshua had died in a high speed chase. Joshua's older brother, Jason, was driving. Joshua, apparently, had been out of juvenile hall for just a couple of days. Jason survived with minor injuries, pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced yesterday to six years and eight months in state prison.

The juvenile court system, unlike the adult criminal system, is supposed to be primarily directed toward rehabilitation. As far as I know, Joshua never received the benefit of any kind of treatment aimed at resolving the meth problem which both he and his grandmother acknowledged to be at the heart of his delinquent predisposition. Nor did he receive any kind of meaningful counseling aimed at resolving whatever psychological and family issues might have been related to a pattern of self-destructive behavior. All he received was time in the hall and time in a group home away from people who really cared about him.

My heart goes out to those who loved and cared for Joshua and tried so hard to help him, especially his grandmother and his girlfriend.

I will never forget Joshua's perpetually bright demeanor. He knew exactly where his self-destructive tendencies would continue to take him, yet he always kept smiling.


Godspeed Joshua R.


* From the song, "In the Ghetto," written by Scott Davis and popularised by Elvis Presley.