Amberly Melendez

Guiding Question: What can the community do to prevent juveniles from re-offending?

The main focus of my project was finding ways to prevent a juvenile from reoffending. To do that I observed sessions from the First Offenders Program of Pharr. My mentor Maritza Lara worked with these teens and allowed me to interview them one on one. From these interviews I was able to gain an insight on the lives of these troubled youth. My main goal was to obtain their perspectives of the program so I could use it in my final product. My product was a poem spoken from the troubled youth’s perspectives. I tried my best to really tell their stories with hopes of bringing awareness to this problem. After you read this poem, my hope is that you will better understand these young people in our community. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine]

Never-Ending Verdict

By Amberly Meledez

Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School

Senior Capstone Project 2016

Assumptions made with

just a look at my past.

Those mistakes, that mistake

Oh the shadows they cast

With that record as my title

why even try to explain?

The side talk and comments,

how would you stay sane?

Another number in the system,

that’s what I’ve come to be

Anyone care to hear

my real-life plea?

It hasn’t been easy,

so before you accuse.

Take a step back,

place yourself in my shoes.

There are no excuses

for the faults in my path

Should my future have to suffer

from the effects of the aftermath?

To those who believe

I no longer belong

I’m here to say

I will prove you all wrong.

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