Arrests and residential confinement of juveniles dropped by more than half between the mid-1990s and the present, but the US still leads the world in incarcerating youth under age 18. A common model used in the juvenile justice field is the school-to-prison pipeline, which observes that a disproportionate number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds become incarcerated due to harsh disciplinary policies in schools. Barraza addresses this head on by reporting on his work with incarcerated juveniles. After listening to their life stories and encouraging these youth to write about their experiences, his conclusions about how they become disengaged and disenchanted with school because of how they are treated by authority figures and the many traumatic circumstances they face in life are especially significant. Using a critical pedagogical method in combination with an arts-based research method, Barraza gives voice to these young people by talking to them and jointly authoring short fictional pieces and poetry that illustrate the conscious and unconscious aspects of their lives. He ends the book with a set of trenchant policy prescriptions fashioned to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and humanize disadvantaged youth. Highly recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.

Choice Reviews

In this very important book, Gregory Barraza highlights the intricate and complicated relationships between education, juvenile justice, racism, classism, and mental health for minority youth. Barraza’s innovative work incorporates critical race theory, quantitative and qualitative data, Narrative Inquiry, and Arts Based Research to apply a critical pedagogy to detect the inequities in education and criminal justice to provide a better understanding of the current interconnectedness of contemporary social problems that affect marginalized youth. One of its greatest strengths is the moving and empowering stories that we hear through the voices of at promise youth who has worked with. Anyone concerned about how to address the inequalities in education and the criminal justice system, and understanding the complexities of daily life for many young people and there struggles with the structure of formal education should read this book.

Victoria Carty, Chapman University

A sobering and powerful exploration of the life experiences among incarcerated youth through deeply moving and personal artistic narratives. Barazza boldy calls out the injustices and inequalities inherent in the school to prison pipeline, while also confronting the flawed correctional education system. Essential reading for educators, administrators, or anyone who is concerned about the dehumanization of voiceless and marginalized incarcerated youth of color.

Stephanie Paramore Jones

In Critical Pedagogical Narratives of Long-Term Incarcerated Juveniles: Humanizing the Dehumanized, Gregory Barraza invites the readers to take a critical look at the world of long-term incarcerated juveniles and to adopt a more humanizing gaze at the young lives by considering a broader context of systemic issues and societal neglect that shape the complex intersection of lived experience, education, and incarceration, and how all of these aspects transform the lives of one of the most vulnerable segments of the population... It is a must-read for educators, policymakers, scholars, and anyone interested in and committed to fostering a more just, equitable, and compassionate society for all.

Journal of International and Comparative Education