Bakersfield College Jessica Wojtysiak Spring 2016 AcDv B61 True Notebooks

Pre-Reading Who is the author? When was the book published? What do reviewers think of the book? Has it been adapted to film?

The Premise Wanting to add life to a juvenile delinquent character in the novel he was trying to finish, Mark Salzman visited a juvenile lockup for high-risk offenders where his friend taught a writing class. Despite entering the facility wishing "we could tilt L.A. County and shake it until everybody with a shaved head and tattoos falls into the ocean," Salzman ended up teaching a class himself (7).

ClASS pOLL: Question #1 Do you agree with Salzman’s attitude at the beginning of the book? Should juveniles who commit violent crimes (armed robbery, rape, murder) be transferred to criminal courts and tried as adults?

What does the Public Think? Gallop Poll Data, 2003

2014 National Data

Changing Attitudes Fear of child predators peaked during the mid 1990’s. They have slowly declined since. States have the power to set their own policies.

Question 2: Who commits crimes? Violent crimes are committed most often by people of what age? Ages 10 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40 40 +

Violent Crime Arrests per 100,000 From US. Dept of Justice (OJJDP) Age 1980 1994 2012 10 to 12 40.8 86.8 31.3 13 to 14 228.9 464.6 156.4 15 442.8 803.7 283.3 16 563.9 994.4 359.0 17 661.6 1064.3 402.1 18 676.3 1100.0 479.6 19 630.6 946.0 499.7 20 606.1 864.0 483.4 21 602.9 838.4 490.5 25-29 393.5 605.6 379.7 30-34 277.1 494.7 307.9 35-39 211.1 364.2 230.1

Question #3: Who Commits Crimes? Who commits more violent crimes, females or males?

Offenders by Sex

Question #4: Who Commits Crimes? Members who identify with what racial category commit the most violent crime?

Offenders by Race

U.S. Population Demographics Race/Ethnicity Number Percentage Non-Hispanic white 196,817,552 63.7 % Non-Hispanic Black 37,685,848 12.2 % Non-Hispanic Asian 14,465,124 4.7 % Non-Hispanic Native Americans 2,247,098 0.7 % Non-Hispanic Two or More Races 5,966,481 1.9 % Hispanic or Latino 50,477,594 16.4 %

When do these Crimes Occur? Between 6 am and 12 pm Between 12 pm and 6 pm Between 6 pm and Midnight Between Midnight and 6 am

The Time for Crime (DOJ, 2004)

How do states deal with juvenile crime?

ALL States Permit some Transfer

25% of Violent Crimes Involve Juvenile Offenders

Murders Committed by Juveniles

About Half of Homicides Involved Multiple Offenders

Yet… There are no good books about juvenile offenders (according to Duane). Why is that? Is True Notebooks a good book about juvenile offenders? If so, why? What makes it effective?

True Notebooks and Race What race is the author? What race are his first students (Jimmy, Kevin, and Francisco)? How does the author address race in the text? Is he aware of the role of race in the prison system?

True NoteBooks and Language Read the first page of the novel. Does it grab your attention. Why? Does True Notebooks contain any literary elements? Did you notice any figurative language? What themes did you notice?

TN Lit Circle Groups Form Groups with 4 Members Each Each Person is Responsible for Completing a Role Work must be completed prior to class Groups will discuss their findings in class before turning their work in (Handout Packet 99-106)