On October 30th I took the eleven-year-old scouts to see Judge Bruce Luebeck at his courtroom in South Jordan. He showed us the courtroom and the holding cell where prisoners are kept while waiting for their case to be heard. He explained that recidivism rates are very high. He said that sixty percent of the defendants he places on probation fail to complete their term of probation without another offense. My five scouts seemed to enjoy the visit.
When I was young I was anxious to excel. I remember thinking how great it would be if I could freeze the whole world for a period of time while I learned what I needed to get ahead, then unstop everything and demonstrate my amazing skill. Now that I am older–“old”– excelling doesn’t seem so important. Now I fret that everyone else isn’t progressing like they should. Maybe they were frozen for a time.