Alternatives to custody urged for juveniles

NEW YORK - Facing 18 months of state detention for robbery, the 16-year-old from Staten Island said he's hoping to earn his high school equivalency and go to college. He didn't have a particular hope regarding his transfer to one of the state's 35 residential facilities.

“I'm not really hoping for nothing, but I'm hoping for a good facility, not one that there's a lot of fighting in 'cause I don't want to get a lot of extra days,” he said. “I'm hoping that I can learn how to control my anger more, learn how to get my impulse control under control, just get done with my time and go home free.”

It was mid-April at the Pyramid Intake Center in the Bronx. State officials agreed to let him be interviewed. He volunteered. But his name, like his records, had to remain confidential.