Juvies › Ep. 106

‘Karissa and Nathan’

Seventeen-year-old Nathan finds himself in cuffs for burglary and criminal mischief charges, although he denies all blame for the crimes committed. According to the teen, his friend picked him up in a truck and stopped at his 'grandmother's house...  Full Episode Summary

Seventeen-year-old Nathan finds himself in cuffs for burglary and criminal mischief charges, although he denies all blame for the crimes committed. According to the teen, his friend picked him up in a truck and stopped at his 'grandmother's house' to grab some things from his room. After his friend loaded the pickup with goods, he peeled out of the driveway and ran through stop signs, eventually totaling the car. While his friend bolted from the scene of the accident, Nathan waited in the car for the cops to arrive.

Now in Juvie, Nathan refuses to sign any paper work, asking for a lawyer. Although he only needs to sign off on his Miranda rights and property list, Nathan explains that his mother told him never to sign anything without her consent.

While Nathan has hopes of obtaining his GED and getting a plumbing license, another boy in Juvie warns him that he may end up spending serious time in the center, if not the county jail next door. When his lawyer shows him pictures of guns and knives found in the car, Nathan knows he has a difficult case against him.

At his trial, the detective from the crime scene takes the stand, saying there was a rifle case found in the front seat. After speaking to witnesses, the sergeant determines that Nathan was the one wheeling the car. His sister makes matters worse with her testimony, saying Nathan called her from the accident, saying he hit a truck. Since Nathan is from out of state, the prosecutor strongly encourages the judge to keep him detained. Concerned that Nathan wouldn't appear in further trials, the judge complies, and Nathan is sent back to his cell. In tears, Nathan swears his innocence, hoping the authorities will find his friend Tom.

Seventeen-year-old Karissa is a foster child sent to Juvie as a runaway. After her foster mother nagged her with homework, Karissa ran away to a friend's house, where she partied and smoked marijuana for two straight weeks. When the cops finally busted the party, Karissa landed in cuffs. Although she expects her foster parents to be disappointed on her phone call from the center, they're more concerned about her well-being, telling her that they love her. While she feels badly for hurting them, Karissa is happy that they care for her.

In the center, Karissa says she doesn't have a legitimate reason for running away. Over the past months, her grades had gone downhill, and she ran for fear of disappointing them. Used to chaotic fighting with her drug-using mother, Karissa felt the need to test her foster parents in order to see how much they loved her. When her foster parents come to visit, she says she was genuinely happy that the cops caught her. She now knows that her foster parents' love is unconditional.

At her trial, Karissa promises the judge that she plans to turn her life around and become a better daughter. Her foster father assures the court that he and his wife want to take Karissa home and overcome their problems as a family. The judge ultimately grants Karissa's release, ordering random drug tests to make sure that Karissa stays off of the marijuana.