Throughout this series you will laugh, cry, feel frustrated, angry, and just question everything about the system that has placed these children there.
I have to agree with one of the other reviews that questioned the impact this may have on the girl's future, especially given seem to be embracing the celebrity status already, however I feel this documentary needed to be made. You never really hear about what happens in juvenile facilities, but this provides a great insight.
What struck me the most was the lives all of these girls led before they entered the system in this way. Mostly all of them interviewed had severe issues with their family life - sexual abuse, parents in prison, parents using and encouraging drug use etc. It makes you question whether this is really the best we have to offer the struggling kids of America? Is incarcerating them the only way to get through to them? I'm doubtful. But I was pleased to see how well they were being treated when it came to receiving support/ schooling.
The one thing the show neglected to mention is how their time in juvenile facilities will affect their future. I know obviously as an adult this affects every aspect of their lives - applying for food stamps, accommodation, jobs etc. But do these records ever get wiped? Do they have to declare it when they go for jobs? I know these answers could be found with a google, but it would have been nice to have a narrator to tease out some of these conclusions at the end of the series.
What I'd really love to see next is a 'three years on' type chat show style one-off episode where the girls, with the use of hindsight (if we're lucky), get to talk about what they thought of the facilities/ their treatment, and whether they believed there were other options better suited for them. That'd be really interesting.
