Between Signals: A Memoir-Fiction of a Youth Guidance Specialist at COJC (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798279242207)

Between Signals is a memoir-fiction account of life inside a secure juvenile treatment facility, told from the perspective of a Youth Guidance Specialist working at the deepest end of the juvenile justice system. Drawing on lived experience, the author documents the daily operations of secure care-including crisis response, structured movement, therapeutic programming, and suicide watch-while examining the emotional and ethical responsibilities placed on frontline staff.

Set on a campus with institutional roots dating back to 1907, the narrative traces how historical models of correction and containment continue to shape modern treatment practices. Through restrained, observational prose, the book explores how architecture, policy, and institutional culture influence behavior for both youth and staff.

Written to protect confidentiality through composite characters and altered details, Between Signals offers insight into juvenile justice reform from the floor level rather than the courtroom or policy desk. The work is suitable for general readers as well as students and professionals in criminal justice, social work, education, and related fields.