When Andrew Peterman of Idaho first came into the juvenile justice system at age 15, he did not know that schizophrenia was driving his anger, which in turn was resulting in arrests and illicit drug and alcohol usage. In time, thanks to juvenile detention and treatment for his schizophrenia he has been able to straighten out his life.
In fact, he has come so far on his journey that the Coalition for Juvenile Justice awarded him the 2011 National CJJ Spirit of Youth Award to "recognize and celebrate a young adult...who has made great strides through involvement with the juvenile justice system, overcome personal obstacles and is today making significant contributions to society." In the video below by Leonard Witt, Peterman tells of his journey through crime, drugs, schizophrenia and rehabilitation. See the video time splits below.
- Introduction, Spirit of Youth Award: 00:00
- Trouble begins at age 15, no coping skills 00:50
- At 17 tried as an adult 01:20
- Three felonies, classified as "persistent violator" 01:50
- Avoiding automatic five extra years of incarceration 02:23
- Diagnosed with schizophrenia, treatment helped 02:35
- Relapsed into drug and alcohol abuse, quit taking medication 02:50
- Decides against evil methamphetamine world and turns to God 03:28
- Used coping skills learned in juvenile detention 03:55
- Now attends college, will finish in August 2011 04:06
Watch for Andrew Peterman's essay on how juvenile detention is more demanding than adult prison later in the week at JJIE.org.