DIARY OF A JAIL KID

Bad Summer

Foreword

When I was 11-years old, I was arrested for shoplifting. Ten days later, I went to juvenile court. Even though it was my first offense, the judge sentenced me to serve a brief sentence in juvenile jail.

After I was released, I was embarrassed to talk about my time in jail. My mother suggested that I write a short story about my arrest and imprisonment. She thought writing would help me overcome my shame and embarrassment.

What you're about to read is the story that I wrote for my parents. I wrote the story like a diary because at the time, I enjoyed reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid  books.

I corrected my spelling and grammar mistakes, shortened some of my paragraphs, gave the story a title, and divided it into chapters. Other than that, it's essentially the same story that I wrote in 2019. 

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Sunday, June 30

My summer turned bad today. I got arrested at Walmart. I tried to steal a headlight for my bike. My old light doesn't work anymore.

I stuffed the package into my pocket and walked out of the store. An alarm went off as I went through the exit. The package had some kind of security strip on it that set off the alarm.

A security guard ordered me to stop. I should have run away, but I was too scared. Instead, I followed him to a small room. He told me to empty my pockets.

When the security guard saw the package, he asked to see my receipt. I didn't have one, so I lied. I told him I forgot to pay. He didn't believe me because I only had a dollar. Then he called the police.

Two cops came to Walmart and arrested me. They handcuffed me and made me sit in the back of a police car like a criminal. Then they drove me to the police station.

At the station, the cops said I was being charged with shoplifting. They took front and side photos of me, then took my fingerprints on  a computer screen.

A cop took me to the back of the station and took me to a holding cell. It was a weird cell. It didn't have bars. The door and window were plastic. The cop said the plastic was stronger than steel.

The cop locked me in the cell. He said I had to stay in there until my parents could pick me up. It was my first time in jail and I was scared. I knew dad would give me a spanking when I got home.

There was nothing in the cell except a bench. If I needed to pee, I was supposed to push a signal button inside the cell.

I stayed locked in the cell for about an hour. After the cop left, I kicked the plastic door hard. It didn't break or even crack. I couldn't escape. I was a real prisoner.

My parents picked me up at the police station. Mom was crying and that made me cry, too. Dad didn't cry. He was angry.

As soon as we got home, dad took me to my room and spanked my bare butt. I got 10 spanks. I got scolded between spanks, too. It took dad forever to finish the spanking and scolding.

Today was the worst day of my life. 

Tuesday, July 2

Dad didn't work today. He took me to a lawyer's office this afternoon. Walmart is pressing charges against me and I have to go to juvenile court next week.

Mr. Carlton is my lawyer and he explained our county's juvenile laws. Kids have to serve time in juvenile detention for their crimes. I can't believe it. I might get locked up in juvenile jail.

I was sad all day. I kept thinking about jail. I'm really scared of jail and I don't want to get locked up. I decided to run away.

Thursday, July 4

My friends Justin and Nathan came over this afternoon and we went swimming. I didn't tell them about my arrest or my spanking. That night, we watched the fireworks over the Mississippi River.

After I run away, I'll never see Justin and Nathan again. I cried after I went to bed. They're my best friends.

Friday, July 5

I rode my bike to Greg's apartment. He's my oldest cousin. I asked him if I could hide out at his place. He said no. He said I should be brave, go to court and get it over with.

After I left, Greg called mom. When I got home, mom told me the same thing. She told me to be brave, go to court and get it over with. She thinks I'll get community service instead of jail.

I'm not taking a chance. I'm running away on Tuesday before court.

Monday, July 8

Dad took me to my lawyer again. Mr. Carlton said he looked at the Walmart security tapes. The tapes show me putting the package in my pocket and leaving the store.

Because of the tapes, Mr. Carlton is positive I'll be found guilty. It's my first offense, so he said I'll probably get two days in jail. If I get more, he's going to appeal.

Mr. Carlton told me not to run away, either. He said if I don't show up for court, I'll get 30 days in jail for failure to appear. A whole month! My lawyer never has any good news for me.

When I got home, I got ready to run away in the morning. I put some clothes, a knife and my money in my school backpack. I had $21.37. That's not much to live on.

Maybe I can take my tent and camp out in the woods near our house. At night, I can sneak home and get food from our refrigerator. 

After I went to bed, I thought a lot about mom and dad. If I run away, they'll be worried about me. It's probably better if I kill myself. Once I'm dead, they won't have to worry about me anymore.

Dad owns a shotgun, but he keeps it locked in a gun safe. I don't know the combination to the lock. I could stab myself with a knife, but that would hurt and I might not die.

God, I'm so scared. One part of me wants to run away and live. Another part of me wants to die. No part of me wants to go to jail.

Tuesday, July 9

I'm still home. I wasn't brave enough to run away or kill myself.

After lunch, we drove to the juvenile court. My court time is 1:45. My lawyer was waiting for us at the courthouse. He told me again that I'll probably get two days in juvenile jail.

In the courtroom, the judge asked me if I wanted to say anything. 

I stood up and apologized for stealing the headlight. I promised not to steal again. I told the judge that my dad had already spanked me.   I begged him not to send me to jail.

My begging didn't do any good. The judge sentenced me to two days in juvenile jail. I have to report to jail at 7:00 tonight. I can't believe it. In five hours, I'll be in jail like a criminal.

I picked up my detention order from the court clerk, then dad drove us home. We sat most of the afternoon in the patio. Mom and dad tried to cheer me up.

Dad said time would go faster in jail if I kept busy. He told me to read, play games and exercise.

Mom told me to think of my jail time as a new adventure. She wants me to write a story about my adventure.

Mom, jail is not an adventure. It's a nightmare.

After supper, mom and dad took me to the detention center. As dad drove, I thought about jumping out of the car and letting myself get run over by another car. I wasn't brave enough to do it. I'm a coward.

Outside the jail, we hugged each other and cried. I never saw dad cry before and it scared me. He probably knows that the bigger kids will beat me up or rape me. They do those kind of things in jail.

Dad pushed a button outside the door. A bell rang and a guard opened the door. I waved goodbye to mom and dad, then entered the building. The guard slammed the door shut and locked it.

My bad summer just got worse. I'm in jail.