"The Spider's Web"

"The Spider's Web" is a non-fiction novel written by Jerome Gold who was a juvenile rehabilitation counselor in a children's prison for a number of years.  This book is based on his experiences with some of the youth he worked with for the last seven years he was at Ash Meadow.  He was based in Wolf Cottage at Ash Meadow, a maximum security facility.  A lot of the story focuses on Caitlin Weber, a thirteen year old girl, who along with her mother and four other children, murdered her mother's employer.

Caitlin stayed at Ash Meadow until she turned 18 then she was transferred to a prison for adult women, Purdy.  Jerome (who goes by Jerry) and Caitlin become close and, in my opinion, he became the father figure that Caitlin lacked in her life.  Even though Jerry is now retired, he and his wife continue to visit Caitlin in prison.

This book was an enlightening read - How many of us really know what happens to children who commit serious crimes?  If you want to look behind the scenes in a juvenile facility as well as look at what may lead children to commit crimes, this book is for you.  Although it's a difficult read at times, it is well worth the effort.  pazt