SIGHTS
A facility enclosed by chain link fences, narrow holding cells consisting of wall benches and a toilet, concrete or cinder block rooms with a narrow window and sturdy furnishings, metal doors with rust marks and scratches, bunk beds or rows of cots, graffiti-stained walls, a stainless steel commode and sink, thin mattresses and pillows, standard issue clothing (scrubs, jumpsuits, T-shirts, sweat suits, socks, boxers, sneakers or slip-on shoes, identification bracelets), isolation rooms, an intercom system and security cameras, a posted daily schedule that is strictly enforced, a basketball court, a grassy or concrete outdoor area, an infirmary with nurses or doctors on duty, a library, a kitchen, a multipurpose rec room (couches, tables and chairs, TVs mounted to the wall), an area with tables and seating where residents meet with visitors, facilities for group or individual therapy, a garden, classrooms with standard equipment (student desks and chairs, a teacher’s desk, pencils and paper, textbooks, a dry-erase board, visual aids on the walls), sneakers left sitting outside of private rooms, computers for supervised usage, a bank of telephones that can be used during designated times
SOUNDS
Echoing hallways, amplified noises due to the concrete walls, voices and laughter, shoes squeaking on tile, doors clanging shut, electronic doors buzzing open, voices speaking over the intercom, teachers instructing in a classroom, basketballs bouncing on an indoor or outdoor court, residents playing games or watching TV in the rec room, residents arguing (exchanging insults, yelling, swearing), fistfights drawing a ring of cheering onlookers, large groups of people eating in the cafeteria, a mop swishing across the floor, pages turning as someone reads a book in her room, workers doing systematic room checks, footsteps passing by in the hallway, sounds from one’s roommate (talking, reading aloud, singing, humming or whistling, snoring, shifting in bed)
SMELLS
Food from the cafeteria, floor cleaner, sweat, smells from the toilet, dry-erase markers in the classroom, the papery smell of books in the library
TASTES
Cafeteria food, toothpaste
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
Cold concrete walls, the stir-crazy sensation of being stuck in a small room, loose-fitting clothing, a thin mattress that does little to soften the metal or concrete bunk underneath, a cold steel toilet, a plastic or metal ID bracelet sliding up and down one’s wrist, the sun or wind on the skin as one steps outside for an exercise period, nervous jitters when one is summoned by an administrator or psychologist, the feel of a letter from a loved one, sinking into a couch in the rec room, a pencil scratching over paper in the classroom, silverware scraping over a metal tray, a thin blanket
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Confrontations with other residents
Gang- or race-related conflicts
Overly-militant guards
Insomnia
Worry over the future
Claustrophobia
Restlessness from not getting enough exercise
Academic difficulties that make learning difficult
Boredom
Being arrested for a crime one didn’t commit
Conflict with family on visiting day
Family who refuse to visit
Therapy meetings that force a resident to confront past wounds
Peer pressures
Abuse or neglect by the staff
Budget cuts that make it difficult for the facility to acquire sufficient resources and personnel
A faulty stigma that exists about a given facility
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Administrators, armed guards, doctors and dentists, janitors, kitchen staff, lawyers, nurses, psychologists, residents, social workers, teachers, visitors
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Rural Volume: group foster home
Urban Volume: Courtroom, homeless shelter, police car, police station, prison cell, psychiatric ward
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
A juvenile detention center is not a prison. It’s a secure but temporary residence for juvenile offenders who are awaiting trial. Sometimes, a judge may decide that a longer stay at the center would be of benefit to a certain child, and he or she might stay for a longer period of time. If a child doesn’t respond to the treatments and services provided at this level, he or she may then be transferred to a juvenile correctional facility, which is essentially a prison for youth offenders.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Mia lay on the thin mattress, the sorry excuse for a blanket pulled up over her eyes. Unfolded, it didn’t reach her feet, so she might as well use it to block out the lights that never went off. Shoes squeaked along the hallway, pausing just outside her door before passing on. She had lost count of the number of people who had walked by or the hours, days, and weeks she’d been stuffed into this box. She was a mouse caught in a trap, but it didn’t matter. The trap was simply part of a maze designed to make sure people like her could never find the exit, never hope for anything more than a crappy piece of cheese. One that always came with a price.
Techniques and Devices Used: Metaphor, symbolism
Resulting Effects: Establishing mood, passage of time, reinforcing emotion