Intake, Prologue, Two Boys, Thirty Years, and Other Numbers Summary and Analysis

In the Old Wing of the Central Lockup in the Upper Sonoran Desert, officers at juvenile hall engage in their usual intakes of juvenile delinquents. The deposits occur at night and following a brief interview with staff, officers make recommendations for how certain infractions are to be treated. These officials have a great power to decide who is innocent and who is guilty, such as Geri Vance, a would-be motel robber who would probably spend life in prison without parole because he accompanied Ronald Duncan, who killed someone, who would receive no more than eight years in jail due to the juvenile court system.

Edward Humes, the author, has both Geri and Ronald in his group therapy session with other boys, one of whom is...