Narrative Interview Report

I interviewed Edgar, a student who encountered youth violence outside the school. His story reflects what many young people have experienced. Upon encountering these obstacles, Edgar had to witness criminals being sheltered by the law itself, because they are minors. He felt discouraged and devastated because of the lack of accountability youth has disregarded. As a person whose voice is their only power, they chose to actively spread awareness about this topic. Edgar reflected on the situation and used that experience to educate the people around him about its importance and how we can learn from it, especially at our age. This is why education is a must, and have started a discussion regarding this matter. For them, they believe to fully broaden their understanding about youth violence and juvenile justice, as it helps set boundaries. They also believe that the law protects the youth from being criminally charged which allows them to freely commit crimes. This law does not protect these children but rather enable them into doing heinous acts. With this, they believe that changes should be made, such as "lowering the age of liability", "favoring only to those who are being used and abused", and "individuals who ought to do crimes on their owned, should be charged accordingly". From the interview, I realized that my understanding of juvenile justice has changed. At first, I thought the law was mainly there to protect the youth, but after hearing real-life situations, I saw that it should guide us towards responsibility. I learned that young people take advantage of the law, which shows the need for change. This made me reflect that protection and accountability must go hand-in-hand to truly help our youth grow and prevent future crimes and violence.