Some of you will recall that WCCF was privileged to host R. Dwayne Betts at a conference last year to talk about his experiences as a youth who was sentenced to prison at age 16 for being involved with a friend in an armed carjacking. He had never held a gun before, but within a matter of minutes he had committed six felonies. A bright young kid, he served his eight-year sentence as part of the adult population in some of the worst prisons in Virginia.

A Question of Freedom is his soon-to-be-published gripping and true coming-of-age story with the unique twist that it takes place in prison. Utterly alone, and with the growing realization that he really is not going home any time soon, Dwayne confronts profound questions about violence, freedom, crime, race, and the justice system. Above all, A Question of Freedom is about a quest for identity–one that guarantees Dwayne’s survival in a hostile environment that incorporates an understanding of how his own past led to the moment of his crime and the inherent dangers of incarcerating young people in an adult facility. In Dwayne’s stories are lessons for advocates, policy-makers, and professionals who work with young people involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems.