Hernan Carvente says he was one of those teens who benefited from a second chance. He was two days shy of his 16th birthday when he shot a rival gang member in Queens, New York, in 2008. After the shooting, Carvente says he went home and saw his girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time, and decided that he wanted to turn his life around.
“I broke down when I saw her,” Carvente says. “It hit me that… I had thrown my life away.”
Arrested and then sentenced to two-to-six years in prison for attempted murder, he served his time in a juvenile facility because he was still 15 when the shooting occurred. Had he committed his crime just a few days later, he would have faced adult charges.
While in custody, Carvente received counseling and other support. He also began a college program.
Carvente, who served four years for the shooting, acknowledged that he deserved punishment for his crime. But he’s grateful for the opportunities he was given while in custody. Now 25, Carvente earned a bachelor’s degree and is planning to go to graduate school.
“If we put kids in situations where there’s mentors, where there’s love and support, they can turn their lives around,” he says. “I’m proof of that.”
There are some people that would argue that Cervante is the exception not the rule meaning that most young people in situation do not reform their beliefs and behaviors.
1) Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer
2) How should the system determine which Juveniles are capable of reform and which juveniles require further intervention before being given an opportunity for early release?