Juvenile Justice – Cherie Livett Bombell

Browsing Posts tagged Juvenile justice

Savage

July 2, 2011 Cherie Bombell No comments

Tweet Savage. His name was on my mind when I woke up this morning. Savage was the nick name of a young Puerto Rican man on Wallace Cottage. He was a born leader. He had poise and an air of authority that the other young men respected and looked to for direction. It eked out […]

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Who Was Sadie Cooksey?

June 13, 2011 Cherie Bombell 5 comments

Tweet The following information and photograph was kindly provided by the Geneva History Center. “Beginning July 23, 2011, the Geneva History Center museum will host Who Was Sadie Cooksey?, a photographic traveling exhibition developed by Maine photographer Maggie Foskett. The genesis of this exhibition reaches back to 1979, when Foskett stumbled onto an isolated cemetery […]

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Geneva History Center Exhibition

June 11, 2011 Cherie Bombell 5 comments

Tweet In July, the Geneva History Center will host an exhibition titled Who Was Sadie Cooksey?. This is a traveling photo exhibition developed by Maine photographer, Maggie Foskett. With the genesis in 1979 when Ms Foskett took pictures of the cemetery at Geneva Training School, the exhibition focuses on a single individual whose tombstone caught […]

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Poverty vs privilege

January 2, 2010 Cherie Bombell 9 comments

The inmates were only a few years younger than me. Most were smart though not educated; most came from inner city Chicago – ‘the ghetto’. Most were born into poverty and I into security. They’re black; I’m white. My color and social standing bestowed ‘privilege’ on me – a valuable commodity that those kids didn’t have access to.

Kids Behind Bars Department of Corrections, ghetto, incarcerated, Juvenile justice, life lessons, Poverty, racism, reform school, young offenders

Girls School goes co-ed

December 26, 2009 Cherie Bombell 10 comments

Before boys, the girls would ‘go steady’ with each other. Couples were evident by their dress – slips or petticoats hung a few inches below the hem of the state issue dresses. Socks were mixed and matched between couples. A red sock on the right foot, yellow on the left matched the mirror reverse on the other half of the couple.

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Graveyard

December 26, 2009 Cherie Bombell 1 comment

Her identity was never discovered so no one could be notified. Friends and family that knew her, loved her and grieved for her never found out what happened or where she is.

Kids Behind Bars Cemetery, Department of Corrections, Geneva Illinois, graveyard, incarcerated, Juvenile justice, young offenders

Incarcerated for Truancy

December 15, 2009 Cherie Bombell 5 comments

I remember a beautiful girl, Denise, 11 years old and incarcerated for truancy. She would sit in the TV room at night and rock forward and back, forward and back, her arms encircling her body in an attempted hug. Taking a young girl out of her family home for truancy was and is a terrible thing to do. Her innocence was exposed to older and wilder girls that had life experiences Denise couldn’t comprehend. She was a beautiful, innocent child and you can bet if she’d been white, she would never have heard of ‘Geneva’.

Kids Behind Bars Geneva Illinois, Illinois State Training School for Girls, incarcerated, Juvenile justice, racism, truancy, young offenders