Inspiration:

What is justice? Is it justice to hold a juvenile, as young as 15, to the same standard as an adult; and if so, shouldn't they be permitted the same privileges as adults in all areas of life?

What role does art play in your life?

Change inspires my art, and I hope it inspires change in our judicial system.

Justice statement:

50 years ago, Minnesota's highest court determined in State v. Hogan, 298 Minn. 430 (1973) and State v. Lloyd, 297 Minn. 442 (1973) that a 15 year old was mature enough to be treated like an adult. On November 2, 1973, the Supreme Court of Minnesota ruled that a child as young as 15 could enter into a legally binding contract reserved for adults, like being interrogated and waiving their Miranda rights.

I wish I would've known that I was considered an adult prior to my incarceration at 15 years old. All the way up until that point, I was always told no, I couldn't do this or that, because I was "too young, too immature." Too young and immature to vote, drive a vehicle by myself, smoke tobacco, drink alcohol, not have a curfew, or get married if I wanted to. So, I couldn't process or understand how I went from an irresponsible, immature, and impulsive adolescent to being a knowledgeable, culpable adult overnight.

Needless to say, I was ill-prepared as an inexperienced 15 year old child having to make well informed decisions in an adult judicial system. As an adult today, I wouldn't have made most of the decisions I made throughout my legal process as an adolescent. I never knew that a child could even be certified as an adult, much less given a life sentence and sent to prison.

Most laws make sense, and some are just contradictory in logic and nature. A law that says I'm not allowed to participate in most of the privileges afforded to adults, simply because I'm a juvenile, only to certify me as a full-fledged adult who knows better when I do something wrong in the eyes of the law, doesn't make sense and needs to change. Simply because a juvenile is certified as an adult doesn't mean that all of the inherent hallmark features of youth - irresponsibility, immaturity, recklessness, impetuosity, and the failure to appreciate risks and consequence - suddenly change too. They are still the same child when going through the adult criminal process. With the recent neuroscientific evidence supporting developmental differences in juveniles and adults, it indicates that what was true 50 years ago isn't true today, and changes are desperately need and long overdue.

Acrylic isn't my forte, but I painted this in the hopes of inspiring and continuing changes in Juvenile Justice Reform. Besides getting out, my goal is to help enact legislative safeguards for children once they're arrested, so they don't unknowingly, unintelligently, or involuntarily make life altering decisions that are not in their best interest.