Like Any Other Kid 2020
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by Carolina Correa, Kathy Liechter, and Victoria Mills
Directed by Victoria Mills
Streaming, 103 mins
K-General Adult
Crime; Criminal Justice; Conflict Resolution; Health Issues; Juvenile Justice Reform; Social Justice
Date Entered: 10/02/2020
Reviewed by LaRoi Lawton, Library & Learning Resources Department, Bronx Community College of the City University of New York”On any given day, close to 50,000 children are incarcerated in the United States”. And so, this film begins. Three detention centers for youthful offenders is introduced to the viewer. Witness three different approaches utilizing what came to be called the “Missouri Approach”. The programs run across many urban counties, like the Bronx, New York, San Jose, California where detention centers for young male and female offenders are currently housed. The “Missouri Approach” has worked and it boggles the mind as to why it has not been used in other areas across the United States.
This film depicts ‘no quick fixes’ for young adults in trouble with the law and detained. It is raw; it is real; so preview before using; it is also America. The kids you see come from all walks of life; White, Black, LatinX; no matter their ethnicity.
Like Any Other Kid provides a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of the most promising developments in juvenile justice reform: the use of non-punitive, therapeutic programs to change behavior and help youth re-enter their communities.
I was one of these kids. Judge me now.
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” -Lao Tzu