I Was 16 When I Went to Jail: The Reality of Juvenile Incarceration
In this special episode of Reality Behind Bars, Ashley talks with Joey Heilman, who spent 78 days in a juvenile detention facility at age 16. Joey has since written about his experience for The Marshall Project and now speaks openly about juvenile incarceration, trauma, solitary confinement, abuse, mental health, and the lasting effects of being incarcerated as a teenager. Joey describes growing up in an abusive home and explains how years of emotional, verbal, and physical abuse shaped the way he responded to conflict and authority. At 16, an altercation with his mother ultimately led to his arrest and incarceration. Joey reflects on the complicated question of juvenile culpability, asking how the justice system should account for trauma and abuse when evaluating a young person's behavior.
Once inside a juvenile detention facility, Joey encountered a world he describes as frightening, violent, and dehumanizing. He discusses being thrown into detention without meaningful orientation, having food taken from him, experiencing repeated physical assaults, and learning to remain constantly vigilant. He also explains how his experiences with correctional staff differed dramatically from his experiences with teachers, some of whom became important sources of support and helped him succeed academically. The conversation takes an especially difficult turn as Joey discusses solitary confinement and sexual abuse in juvenile detention. He spent approximately 21 days in solitary, experiencing the isolation, boredom, monotony, and despair that accompanied spending roughly 23 hours a day alone in a small cell. Years later, recognizing that he had experienced sexual abuse while incarcerated contributed to a severe mental health crisis and hospitalization.
Joey also discusses the lasting effects of juvenile incarceration, including hypervigilance, difficulty trusting others, explosive reactions to perceived threats, and the challenge of distinguishing trauma from personality. Ultimately, he describes how his experience transformed his views on incarceration and led him to become an advocate for prison abolition and more humane approaches to public safety. But Joey's story isn't only about trauma. It's also about healing, family, hope, and breaking cycles of abuse. He shares the experiences that helped change the trajectory of his life, including his relationship with his wife, his faith, therapy, and becoming a parent. He also offers an important message to parents of incarcerated children: stay connected, show your child that they are loved, and don't carry the experience alone. Most importantly, Joey reflects on what he would tell his 16-year-old self and reminds listeners that even the hardest stories can have a happy ending.
Click here to read Joey’s article from The Marshall Project.
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