The rundown building is surrounded by barbed wire. Inside, kids sleep in narrow locked cells, no different from what you'd find in an adult jail. They are subjected to strip searches and attend an hour or two of "school" in a crowded room filled with a random selection of books.

If you sit in juvenile delinquency court long enough, you notice a few things. Most of the kids are black or brown. Almost all of the families are poor. And a huge percentage of the children have problems in school - learning difficulties, mental health needs, behavioral issues, or all three.

If our state requires parental involvement for soaking up ultra-violet rays and piercing a belly button, then surely we can add an adult arrest -- and its life-long impact -- to this list.

While youth can do serious damage to others, it is easier to build a child than repair an adult, and that is why crime prevention should begin very early.