The families of young inmates imprisoned far away from home are getting attention and help.
The Campaign for Youth Justice spent $15,000 to cover the airfare, shuttles and hotel expenses for 15 people who traveled from DC to Devils Lake, North Dakota to visit eight teenaged loved ones incarcerated at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center.
Liz Ryan, executive director of The Campaign for Youth Justice tells the Washington Post that "the farther away someone is, the less likely their family will ever be able to see them and be involved in their lives."
Her group has been lobbying the judicial system for years to stop treating minors like adults.
The relatives of the inmates at the North Dakota facility traveled 1,500 miles to see them. There are
more than 6,500 District inmates in more than 70 federal prisons across the country. There simply isn't enough space to house them in this area.
But Jon Gustin says the families should take some comfort in knowing that often their loved ones
are safer than they would be in most places. In his words, "It's horrible they have to be this far away from home, but if there were my kids, I'd rather the be here than in the D.C. jail."
