Red Cliff Ascent

Red Cliff Ascent

Suitable Placement: Juvenile Justice in America (2006 -)

Photograph

The Richard Ross Collection

Emma, 16, from Manchester England. When I arrived, Emma had been at Red Cliff for a week. She was brought here by transporters from England to Las Vegas. "The transporters came at 2AM to Manchester, by 6AM I was on a flight to Vegas." Her sprained ankle kept her in Las Vegas for two weeks, healing. "I live with my Mom and Dad and one sister age 12. I have been gone three weeks and haven’t spoken to my parents." She smiles at the irony when she says she was “fine," but acknowledges doing a lot of coke and drinking alcohol and then running out of the house, falling and giving her ankle a bad sprain. The coke frightened her mother who called the police. They were told that charges would be suspended if she attended a program like Red Cliff Ascent.

© Richard Ross

United States