"This sensitively written book offers finely wrought portraits of the teenagers in juvenile hall, as well as the educators and counselors trying to help them find safe passage back to--and through--the real world." -- Los Angeles Times "Throughout, Hobbs lets his characters describe the broken system, rather than writing as an advocate. With admirable research, he does a wonderful job bringing out his subjects' humanity. The reader cares about these people--adults and young people alike--and wants them to succeed." -- NPR "This kind of nonfiction relies on earning the privilege of entry into people's lives and observing them closely and deeply; Hobbs excels at both. Describing environments and scenes, he is fluent and precise, with an eye for rich detail. Even better is his portrayal of the internal experiences of his subjects." -- The New York Times Book Review "In this original, heartfelt book, veteran journalist Jeff Hobbs brings us deep into the juvenile justice system, bearing witness to a broken system while capturing the everyday lives of unbroken teachers, counselors, and students locked behind its high walls.

At turns touching and intimate, enraging and honest--this book, more than any other I know, forces us to see America's youngest prisoners for what they truly are: just kids." -- Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize -winning author of Evicted and Professor of Sociology, Princeton University "An eye-opening, fully humanizing, deeply affecting look at the often-misunderstood juvenile justice system and its inhabitants--young people of earnestness, disappointment, hope, and resilience." -- Booklist (starred review) " Children of the State is a powerful and necessary book that illuminates and humanizes people who are often rendered abstractions. Jeff Hobbs combines rigorous journalism, rare access, uncommon empathy, and sharp psychological insight to shine a light on a dark corner of the criminal legal system. Children of the State --with its flawed, funny, frustrating, lovable characters--is an immersive narrative that can help us reconsider our ideas of punishment, justice, and redemption in America, especially for the youngest and most vulnerable among us." -- Justine van der Leun, Pen America America Writing for Justice fellow and author of We Are Not Such Things.