‘Outside the box’

I retired from the federal prison system, working directly with the incarcerated in various prison unit settings (“Think outside the box to deal with young adult criminals,” Feb. 8). This issue of young adult criminals does not get enough attention.

It was sad to watch as young adults honed their skills in prison under the tutelage of gangs and older adult career criminals who they admired and who offered them protection.

In short, our nation’s prison systems are truly broken. — Jack Donson, New York, N.Y.