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Look Who's In Jail! 
FAS: A lifelong sentence This 6-year-old girl has a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) disorder. As she matures physically, she will stay at the emotional level of a child. She is not really in jail, she is just posing for a picture. But sadly, her future may hold a reality that is close to this. Because of her neurological disabilities, caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, she will need structure and support services for the rest of her life. Without early identification and intervention, many children with FAS will end up in jail long before they are adults. It is estimated that half of persons in the criminal justice system suffer brain damage due to exposure to alcohol before they were ever born. [Identifying fetal alcohol syndrome among youth in the criminal justice system. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 1999 Oct;20(5):370-2] Cost for one year in juvenile treatment center: $54,000
Give the next generation the freedom to grow up healthy and independent. Prevent FAS
and alcohol related disabilities. Don’t drink during pregnancy.
Click on the picture to read article "Children Behind Bars" (Print the poster above using one inch margins) The Child does grow, the light it does seek, To grow in love And through safety to know... Children know the light and it will know the love. You only have to open up And look to the future. The night lasts long, But the night is not forever. the lightning flashes, and the child cries out The world closes in, and the walls surround. I reach out.. I offer my hand. I too was within the walls. They seem to go on forever But, remember, I say to the Child, The walls and the bars, just like the lightning outside, don't go on forever, The skies will clear The walls will disappear. The bars keep the world out, But, they can never keep the soul inside. Freedom you seek, and freedom you have. For, every night, in dreams you break out of the walls you break out of the bars. They can hold the body as long as they will, They can never hold the soul. This is my hand. Reach out and take it. Our souls will soar in the clouds. And, the child will grow. Savannah--Dae (11-29-98) Back to FAS Community Resource Center |