Counteract
Walking Alongside Incarcerated Youth in Central America from Prison to Purpose
by
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Chapter 1: Born Into the Battle Behind the tattoos, beyond the headlines, and beneath the hardened expressions, every incarcerated youth is still just a teenager. They are barely into their second decade of life. That may not be obvious at first glance. If you've seen the images from prisons in Central America, it's easy to see them as a faceless mass. They are dressed in prison-issued white T-shirts, shorts, and Crocs. They blend together. It's hard to see them as individuals. Difficult to imagine that each one carries a name, a memory, a story. But they do. Few people ever learn these life stories, or even care to. For those who do, they begin to understand better how these teenagers ended up where they are. These youth come from communities in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala marked by poverty, violence, and loss. Their childhoods were replaced by a daily fight for survival. They were born into fractured families, raised in dangerous neighborhoods, and shaped by trauma and abuse that no child should ever endure. To the outside world, they are criminals. To those who look closer, they are something more. This chapter is an invitation to do just that—to look closer. Here, you'll go beyond the photos and past the generalizations to begin to understand the realities behind juvenile incarceration. The teenagers you'll meet didn't wake up one day and decide to become criminals. Their paths to the detention centers were paved long before their arrests — in moments of betrayal, years of neglect, and the absence of what every child deserves: safety, love, and hope. These stories are not meant to excuse their choices, but to understand them. Not to ignore the harm they've caused, but to acknowledge the pain that caused it. Until we understand how children become "offenders," we cannot begin to consider how offenders might become someone different. You are about to meet Daniela, Alex, Héctor, and Manuel. These are young people born into battles they didn't start and shaped by wounds they didn't choose. Their stories may challenge your assumptions, maybe break your heart, and perhaps change how you see them.
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About the Book
Inside Central America’s juvenile prisons, a quiet revolution is unfolding. But it is not the type one might expect in rough places like these. Instead of an uprising, young offenders are rising up through redemption, resilience, and radical hope. Young people incarcerated in these centers are born into a battle. They are raised in poverty and surrounded by violence. They are shaped by trauma most adults will never know. They are labeled as criminals, discarded by society, and marked as hopeless. Rarely are they told their lives are worth fighting for. Until now. With raw, real-life stories, Greg Harris and Francisco Molina take readers behind and beyond the bars to discover what happens when faith shows up in the darkest places. Youth who have been cast aside begin to realize they are more than their worst mistake. Today, they are overcoming and succeeding.
About the Author
Greg Harris is Executive Director of Counteract International, a faith-based nonprofit equipping incarcerated youth in Central America for success. He previously served in senior leadership at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as Deputy Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Francisco “Pancho” Molina is Regional Director for Central America at Counteract International and a former presidentially appointed, cabinet-level official in Guatemala. As Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare, he led internationally recognized reforms of the country’s juvenile detention centers. Together, they present a clear vision and proven model of redemptive justice for young offenders, grounded in faith and action.