Sadly, No! has printed a letter from John Heacock that talks about the state of our prisons in Iraq, including the detention of children. He's one of the good guys, I think, and it is unfortunate that not everyone in his position thinks the way that he does.

I hope you are wrong in thinking the shit will really hit the fan when facts about how kids were treated get out, but I'm afraid that you are right. I hope that the story of the kid at Abu Ghraib is the only incident. We tried to treat our kids as well as we could, and keep them safe from other prisoners and each other, and did a B+ job. The fact that the Army doesn't even admit holding juveniles is a telling reflection of how clueless it was about having some plan or philosophy of imprisonment.