Part of the acclaimed PBS series “Frontline,” Stickup Kid tells the story of Alonza Thomas, a troubled teenager who is arrested after a failed armed robbery at a gas station. Controversially, Alonza was sentenced to more than 10 years in a maximum security prison in Tehachapi, California. The kind of ruthless institution created for the most hardened adult criminals. Alonza was 16 when he was sentenced.
The state’s harsh punishment for Alonza follows new legislation — Proposition 21 — that calls for zero tolerance for juvenile crime. Alonza was the first teenager to be convicted under Proposition 21, and his incarceration has been the subject of intense debate on both sides of the issue.
“These crimes are dangerous,” said District Attorney Ed Jaggers, who successfully lobbied for Alonza’s incarceration. “People need to remember that a lot of people who are trying to make a living have a right not to be afraid.”
For a figure like Jagels, harsh sentences for minors act as a reasonable deterrent and remove the status of menacing criminals. Others, like Alonza defender HA Sala, disagree. “When you’re 14 or 15, even if you commit a violent crime, there’s a lot of potential for rehabilitation,” he claims in the film.
With enough time for both views, Stickup Kid paints a disturbing portrait of a state that has more children incarcerated per capita than any other country. Perhaps the film’s greatest strength, however, is its painfully honest look at Alonza’s life in captivity. Most of his sentence was served in an outdoor cage and in solitary confinement.
The desire to be free from the threat of crime is one of society’s most well-understood impulses, and the U.S. criminal justice system is widely seen as the key to making that happen. But an empowered society is also an informed one, and that’s the greatest benefit of this immersive documentary.
