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Piece Description
Reginald Dwayne Betts went from the high school honor roll to the penitentiary. He spent 9 years in adult prison beginning at age 16, for car jacking in Virginia. Tonight he'll be the first person in his family to graduate from college, and more than that, he'll deliver the student commencement address at the University of Maryland. Betts beat the odds in a big way. Recidivism rates are already high within the juvenile justice system, and they're 34% higher for youth tried as adults. The Senate is currently considering the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), a bill that would make it harder to place youth in adult jails. Reginald Dwayne Betts looks back on everything he’s endured to get where he is today.
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Reginald Dwayne Betts went from the high school honor roll to the penitentiary. He spent nine years in prison beginning at age 16 for a carjacking in Virginia. Now, he'll be the first person in his family to graduate from college — and he's giving the main student address at the University of Maryland commencement ceremony.
OUTRO:This piece was produced by Reginald Dwayne Betts for Youth Radio.
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Fernanda Sanchez
Posted on June 29, 2009 at 08:54 PM | Permalink
Comment on "From High School to High Security"
In this piece Reginald Dwayne Betts tells us how life in prison was for him at the young age of 16 and for the 9 years that followed.
The fact that it is Reginald who narrates the story makes it more real and personal. His voice and pacing are good so the listener can assimilate and visualize the story. I think that is good that no music was used because it could distract the listener and it wouldn't add to the story. Maybe an intro that explains how he got there would add to the piece. Overall it is a moving piece with a lesson.