They shuffle down the street, heads down, shoulders hunched, unable to take a full step because of the chains between their ankles. Three uniformed, armed guards hover over the ragged line. This is not a scene depicting a 1930's prison chain gang. It is a bright sunny day in downtown Martinez, California, and the prisoners are children being taken to their juvenile court hearing. Although California prohibits routine shackling of children in juvenile facilities and in court proceedings, current law and practice often fail to address what happens to children as they are moved between those settings. In Contra Costa County, as in many other jurisdictions, every child transported to the...
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