Gore 1

Jenna Gore
English IV Honors
DeBock
April 17, 2015
Real World Narrative
Completing my service hours for my Senior Exploration on Juvenile Offenders was difficult.
I had the idea that I would shadow a Scared Straight program from the beginning, but most
programs in the state of South Carolina would only let me participle in the program instead of
just shadow. Fortunately, the Richland County Sheriffs Department was hosting the READY
program for girls on April 17, 2015.
When I first arrived, I was told to wait in the lobby and was referred to as the good one. A
couple teenage girls came in with their parents and were told to wait as well. One girl, who I
later found out was 15, sat down next to me and asked what this was and why she was here. Lt.
Acox, the leader of the READY program, began calling the girls names and handcuffing them
with no explanation. The group consisted of 9 girls, ages 11-15. They were then taken into a
transporting van, while I followed in a police vehicle with another officer.
By the time I had gotten out of the car at the courthouse, where the program would take
place, the girls were being told to run out of the van and put their noses on the wall. After they
were all uncuffed, they were told to pick up two duct-taped bricks. The officers instructed that
the girls were to squat down and duck walk in a single file line with the bricks being held
above their heads. The majority of the juveniles had trouble doing this task. When they

Gore 2

complained that it was painful or stopped, they were taken over to the wall and were made to do
wall-sits. If they still complained, they were shackled and were forced to jog the ramps of a
parking garage. The exercises were too much for one of the young females and EMS was called
because she began to shake and became unresponsive for a few seconds.
After about an hour of physical activity, they were given uniforms and were told to recite I
will never wear this again as they were handed both a top and a bottom. Once changed, they
were taken individually into a private room where they talked to a counselor about the things
they do and why they think they do them. Brittany Scott, a part of the Richland County Narcotics
Unit, sat down with the girls as a group next. She stated that the most popular drugs were
marijuana, crack, cocaine, heroin, and especially Molly. Scott also said that when doing drugs
like these, you never know if they are laced with another substance. One of her catch phrases
was, Change your environment or let your environment change you. They then went back into
their cells to eat their bagged meals.
After eating, they proceeded to do more physical activity. This time, they were doing jumping
jacks with the bricks in their hands. The officers would come and take their bricks and then
another officer would ask them where their bricks were. It was a constant mind game. One
deputy would say one thing and as soon as the girls started to do what they were told, another
deputy would tell them to do the complete opposite. It confused some of the minors so badly that
they became very upset and distressed. I left after this, but the plan was for the girls to go to their
cells for the night and write letters apologizing to their families about the destruction they have
caused.
This was an amazing opportunity and I am so glad I got to shadow the READY program in
Richland County. It opened my eyes and put a real life situation to my Senior Exploration topic. I

Gore 3

thank Deputy Acox for this experience and letting me watch this program. I am glad that I chose
Juvenile Offenders for my Senior Exploration Project.