He said this atmosphere led to a 200% increase in the number of new young inmates on suicide watch.

But while many adults embrace the opportunity, the response from young inmates has been lukewarm.

It isn't even all that easy to locate young inmates, in part because states have adopted different policies about how and where to house them.

Junior high students are taken on tours of jails to hear young inmates talk about the hard life inside.

Older prisoners also need to be protected from young, violent inmates.

On one such day, a young inmate stood with a fishing net draped over him.

"I have a deadly disease," said one young inmate with burning blue eyes who insisted on being identified only by his prison number, 738437.

In the beginning it was used to place young inmates, who needed a special educational effort.

Was sentenced at age 17, the youngest inmate at the time.

At age 18, he was the youngest inmate ever imprisoned within its walls.