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The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater, THEY SAY: - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Dashka Slater demonstrates credibility by taking the time to meet with the people involved with the incident and hear their perspectives, instead of simply reading the article and basing the novel off of what news stations interperated.
        
        “‘Life in jail? A sixteen-year-old? It’s ridiculous,’ [Jasmine] said. ‘They need to give him time to grow. Why lock him up and have him institutionalized and make him worse?’” (Slater 164).
        
        I agree with this statement because studies show that despite young adults being closer to adults than children, their brains are still developing, causing them to make irrational decisions based on emotion rather than facts.
        
        “Since the establishment of the first juvenile court in Cook County, Illinois in 1899, states have recognized that children who commit crimes are different from adults; as a class, they are less blameworthy, and they have a greater capacity for change” (JuvenileLawCenter).
        
        https://jlc.org/youth-justice-system-overview
        
        “Now, as she stared at Richard’s picture, Wilder’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Because he was so sweet,’ she explained. ‘And he’s such a young person facing such serious consequences.’ ‘When she shared that, it was huge,’ Kaprice said afterward. ‘It was incredible. We could hardly take it.’ All they had wanted was someone else to understand” (Slater 199).
        
        Through interviewing these people, the reader gets a better understanding on the emotional toll that this incident took on the characters rather than the typical facts you'd find in a news article.
        
        I SAY:
        
        By actually interviewing Sasha and others involved, there is a level of emotion achieved that could not have been without personally speaking with them.
  - - - Dashka Slater demonstrates emotion by the same reason she establishes ethos: interviewing people involved. By doing this, the reader can feel the emotions that the interviewed people are feeling through the text. They can read about how remorseful characters felt and their whole perspectivre on the issue.
        
        “Please forgive me that’s all I want. I take responsibility for all my actions, Ill take all the consequences. I wish you and your family the best of luck. I’m not just saying this because im incarcerated I honestly mean every word. Love, Richard —” (Slater 180). This was Richard’s letter to Sasha.
        
        I believe that it was exceptionally important to share Richard's letter with the reader so that they can understand how he really felt towards Sasha, because Richard didn't write these letters thinking that a highschooler would analyze them years later.
        
        Shows sincerity
        
        Shows the reader how remorseful Richard is
        
        “When it was over, both mothers were crying. Jasmine kept talking about Sasha. ‘He just looked so innocent,’ she said. ‘He’s so cute. He has such a nice family. It’s just not something I can get used to.’ There was so much more she had wanted to say, but she couldn’t find the words. ‘I don’t know what to say but sorry’” (Slater 225).
        
        By showing the reader both mother's reactions to each other--how forgiving each one was--it demonstrates to the reader that the mothers, who probably feel the strongest about this, showed each other forgiveness, urging the reader to look at this incident from another angle.
        
        Shows forgiveness from both sides
        
        Tells the reader that this story isn't just black and white
        
        THEY SAY:
        
        I SAY:
        
        Through hearing about the actions and forgiveness/remorse shown from both sides of the incident gives the reader a better understanding of how everyone involved felt. Sasha's mother, despite having every reason to, does not hate Richard's mother, or at least puts that behind her in order to move on. Also, Richard doesn't hate Sasha for what happened, but genuinely feels awful for what he's done and wants to mend things with them.
        
        Showing other people's reactions to this incident give the reader a sense of community and hope, all of them rallying for Sasha and trying to drive out hate, like in this photo showing a sign that says "Skirts for Sasha".
  - - - Dashka Slater uses logic by giving numerous examples of statistics on how the juvenile justice system is unfair as well as the difference between a juvenile criminal and an adult criminal, showing the reader that there is evidence to back up her claims rather than just people’s experiences and emotions.
        
        THEY SAY:
        
        “The very last part of the brain to get myelinated is the prefrontal cortex–the part of the brain responsible for reason, planning, and deliberation. So while teenage emotions have gone into hyperdrive, reason and logic are still obeying the speed limit” (Slater 173).
        
        “Number of juveniles held in correctional facilities on any given day: 54, 148. Average cost of juvenile incarceration for one twelve-month stay: $146,302. Percentage of juveniles who are African American: 16” (Slater 301).
        
        This graph shows a decrease in juvenile crime due to the introduction of rehabilitation instead of immediate arrest and sentencing, especially to adult prisons.
        
        I SAY:
        
        By giving logical arguments and statistics showing that young people who are incarcerated instead of rehabilitated come out or prison worse than when they went in makes the reader have a change in perspective for Richard. Also, giving the amount of juvenile criminals can show how rehabilitation does actually work, making the reader want Richard to better himself to keep other people around him (as well as himself) safer.
        
        “Despite research showing that incarceration leads to high youth recidivism rates, as well as poor education, employment, and health outcomes, prosecutors and the courts often fail to use alternatives to incarceration that have been shown to be more effective at rehabilitating young people. Youth of color are disproportionately likely to suffer the harms of these failed policies and practices” (Public Welfare Foundation).
        
        https://www.publicwelfare.org/our-work/issue-areas/youth-justice/
        
        This piece of evidence proves to the reader (and anyone else who said how Richard should simply be locked up) that this method of immediate incarceration is not as successful as rehabilitation or getting this juvenile criminals help after their crimes.
  - - - WORKS CITED
      - “Youth Justice - There Is a Better Way: Public Welfare Foundation.” Public Welfare, 23 Aug. 2020, www.publicwelfare.org/our-work/issue-areas/youth-justice/.
        
        Slater, Dashka. The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives. Findaway World, LLC, Thorndike Press, 2017.