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i have to tell them all of the time, this is fast. just sit on your hands, keep your mouth quiet, keep your mouth shut and let it pass. and sometimes it gets to them, sometimes it doesn't.

>> [ bleep ]. >> i don't want the whole situation to escalate. it doesn't have to. no it does not. >> there ain't no the choice. >> after three years behind bars, this troubled teen has landed in seg more than once. his appetite for mayhem and attention is a continuous struggle but now the situation is much more serious. >> he was you know going through staffs and tying things up like he was going to hang himself. >> superintendent mike dempsey is in charge of keeping staff safe while rehabilitating and educating even the most the challenging teen offenders. >> juveniles are much more challenges and frustrating on a daily basis. >> when i walk away, that's it. so you choose for me to walk away? okay. >> they have a thought or an emotion and they will act on it immediately. and most times you can't, you don't ever see it coming.

>> after he refused to come to the door and cuff up so we could get him out, we had to gather together an extraction team to get into his room so he wouldn't hurt himself. >> are you ready to cuff up? no. >> this generation of juveniles, they're a lot more reckless. they're probably ten times more reckless than an adult offender. they explode. they have their aggression moments. they're fighting and it's over. and then they -- they'll even apologize. all within a three-minute period. >> while cell extractions at

pendleton are rare the procedure is used in extreme circumstances to guarantee the safety of offenders and staff. >> everybody's in good shape. nobody's hurt. >> after he calms down, the teen has time to reflect on what sparked his rage. >> sometimes i get stressed out and i act out and get real mad and i tell the officers that i'm about to get mad and then i will start acting up. i've been cell shacked a lot of times and it was just another time for me. the gentleman was rushing too fast. i couldn't really tell what was going on. locked up. hyped up. getting my adrenaline rushing so i can be ready, prepared to wrestle with them. >> do you know where your anger comes from. >> sometimes i just like to be angry. >> he's not the only one. program directors chris blessinger and eric courtney spend countless hours working with teens in seg. >> talk to me, what was the

point of all that? >> i started hating nation. that everybody started fighting. >> where did that get to you? >> right here. >> as we attempted to interview blessinger after her rounds, we got her own feel for the personalities in seg. >> they go through the groups and they learn the skills but then they have to apply those skills. >> shut up. >> you have to have a certain kind of personality and the demeanor to be able to work in a place like this. there's never a dull moment. always things to do and offenders to help. >> you're facing an adult conviction. you're a danger. i can't let you out until this is all taken care of. >> i get threatened at least three times a day here. the cell, i am always in cautious. i will not put myself when something bad could happen. these kids feed off -- if you show fear, they will eat that up and take advantage of it. i've had to wrestle with a few kids or put handcuffs on them.

you need to be careful. there are some dangerous kids here. >> even in their own words it's hard to unravel the mind of a juvie. our producers met 18-year-old stedman baird in the original lockup pendleton. >> last time we were here, it was summer and you were out in the cage. and now it's snowing and winter and where are you? >> back here. i got out, though, for a couple of months but i came back for battery. >> what made you do that? >> i don't know, just got into it with someone. >> you have seen your mom? >> not since she came to see me coach. i don't really like seeing my family in here. >> how do you feel about getting out? >> i'm nervous but anxious. i don't know what it will be like out there. it's been three years. i don't know what it will be like. i don't know. life one day at a time. you make mistakes, you have to learn from your mistakes. >> he could be acting just fine while here's in school and then the very next second he could be having an outburst and be hurting someone.

and it just comes out of nowhere. you don't ever give up because you never know what's going to work today that didn't work yesterday. >> the challenges are understanding what makes a kid react before he thinks. it can get to the point that when they strike out it can go from one victim to multiple victims over a candy bar. next, on "lockup pendleton juvenile," from teenage troublemaker to pendleton role model. can this longtime offender hold the key to keeping kids out of prison. >> one of my biggest fears is growing up like him to being in prison. i'm not taking that route. and i see myself heading towards that and i'm not taking that route. althy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing.

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for every aggressive offender behind bars at pendleton juvenile, there's a

former bad boy who has spent years exercising the demons of his past. 18-year-old john madden is one of those kids. >> i turned 15 here, i turned 16 here. i turned 17 here and turned 18 here. i got when i was staff charged. and i feel bad about it you and these officers don't do nothing here but come and do their jobs and i was being stupid and ignorant and thought, hey, he's going to mess with me, i will mess with him and i don't even feel like talking about it. >> madden would sit here as a disciplinary disturbance from a facility in indianapolis. so came here straight to our segregation unit, he was angry. he was mad. he was noncompliant with every request. he's a good kid to work with and you could see whatever he went through in his life he decided he was going to make some changes. >> my daddy was in and out of prison. he got out last time and he's most likely back in again because he wrote me like four letters and i haven't heard from him. and before that the last time i

heard from him i was about 9, before that i was 6. >> for madden, peeling back the layers of anger didn't happen overnight. it might not have happened at all, but one innovative yet simple program changed all that. ♪ how many days and you'll be through ♪ ♪ how many days and you'll be through ♪ >> it really changed my life. i came over here to our gang unit. i was a gang banger, thought i was a tough guy. i've learned a lot since i've been on the unit. and i've got a lot of self-discipline. i was transitioned from one person to another. >> honor courage commitment -- >> the future soldier program could really give the offenders hope and give them an alternative future. >> rather than storing all of these resources in the offender while he's at the facility and returning them back to a safe environment than he was in before he came here and the idea

is when they complete the future soldier program that they'll be released directly into one of the military branches and leave here again right to boot camp. >> housed in pendleton's echo 15 unit, 24-carefully screened offenders make up the future soldier's program, but getting their prison walking papers and marching straight to boot camp isn't so simple. there's still red tape. military requirements demand offenders be out of pendleton 30 days after their release before they can officially enlist and 30 days can be a lifetime for kids like madden, who returned to drugs and gang infested neighborhoods. >> what really makes me nervous is in returning back to his old environment and the situations like that got him in trouble the first place. >> it's harder to maintain discipline and the structure they have here once they return to the home of the streets. >> i feel like this is the most positive thing that i can do. it's either that or go back to indy and there's not a whole lot for me. a lot of people aren't going to appreciate that i'm trying to do something for myself and i don't feel like i need to go back to

that because i don't feel like i'm going to have a whole lot of support. >> with his release date just weeks away and military recruiters in town, superintendent dempsey nervously tries to find a solution to bridge the 30-day probation period that would require madden to return to his old haunts. >> he's come a long way. he's really taken that program to heart. >> one staff. >> one unit. >> if we can make this happen for him so that he can leave this facility and report direct to the navy, it gives him a future. it gives him the hope that he needs to truly make a difference in the rest of his life. >> secure my formation. >> while dempsey searches for a solution for madden military officers rick johnson, dwayne cooley and john mercer, have their hands full interviewing other offenders who want a shot at being in the future soldier program.

>> cite the pledge. >> i pledge of allegiance -- >> 150 of pendleton's 300 inmates applied. currently, there's only room for three more. >> it's a tight unit. we have to be very careful who we let into the unit. today is the selection interview process. we're going to do our best to screen out any people that might be detrimental to good order and discipline in the unit because we have to protect that. >> why are you requesting to join e-15? >> i would like to get away from negative peers. a lot of negative peers on the unit i'm on now. so i know if i come here i have an opportunity to go home. >> we get up at 4:50 in the morning, will that be a problem. >> no, sir. >> it's a very structured environment. go to bed at the same time. there's no horseplay, absolutely no horseplay. is that going to be a problem? >> no, sir. >> 2100 is lights out, taps. there is no talking. if you were to be caught

talking, the whole room gets up and does pt. >> would you have any problems with that? >> no, sir. >> how are you going to be able to handle taking direction and orders from other guys in your position? >> well, sir, i would think to myself if i listen to them then maybe one day i'll be able to get up there and be able to be the one. >> yeah, is great answer. >> even though this offender has all of the right answers, the decision to accept him into the unit is complicated. >> these juveniles come from horrible backgrounds. i tend not judge them but we want to ask yourselves do we think that they'll learn in this unit. >> the military team must weigh their personal feelings about the offender with the troubling events that brought him to pendleton in the first place. and competition to get into echo-15 is tough. >> i wouldn't say we're going to let him on the unit. we have to weigh him out once we go through everyone else. >> he's always followed my orders. he's never questioned me. >> i was a new guy. brand new on his unit and he never gave me an ounce of trouble.

>> as the interviews continue a familiar face walks through the door. >> pick your head up, man. >> i'm trying, know. >> don't be nervous. you know us all. >> this impulsive teen was kicked out of program once before. >> why do you want to come back to the unit? >> i can't do anything positive because of my actions and just getting mad all of the time. i was never mad over here. i just didn't feel that i was really ready to be over here. >> then why did you get taken off the unit? >> i battered somebody. >> why did you batter him? >> i heard some stuff that he did about me so i just took my anger out at that time. >> you have to earn it. you can't be out in gp acting a fool and expect to come over to our program because it's not going to happen. if we bring you back over here, are you going to batter somebody else on our unit? >> well, you might see me trying to make an excuse, but i don't have any problems with nobody over here. and that's my word. >> okay.

>> it's a real good group of guys that we've got over there. working on team-building right now and it's coming along nice. >> it doesn't matter whether you get on this unit or not, eventually you'll have to learn how to handle your anger without fighting. whether it's here or in 14, go wherever. examine and once you do that, it's not going to matter what unit you're in and you'll be where you need to be. >> by midafternoon, the last offender of the day makes his pitch to get into the program. >> and why are you in juvenile this time? >> strong armed robbery. >> how long you have been in the department of corrections? >> since i was 12. >> my biggest concern is your gang affiliation. so how are you going to convince me that you're renouncing your gang and you're folding your flag? >> i did that before i decided to come over here.

and i folded my flag because being in a gang doesn't get you nowhere. and i will prove to you by coming over here, and you won't be seeing me throw up those gang signs that i throw. >> i've been talking to your officers, your school, i've been basically investigating on you to see if you are real serious and not just trying to play me. right now, i'm going to say yes. >> one of the first things you said when you sat down is that you felt like you were a victim of the system. what we need you to do at all times in this unit is have accountability for yourself and what you have done to be in the position that you're in. coming up, military interviews are a cake walk compared to the stress facing john madden. >> one question for you, madden? >> yes, sir. >> you are ready? >> always ready, sir. >> go. >> then, a signal tent alerts staff to an emergency in the segregation unit. did you know, your eyes can lose vital nutrients as you age? [ male announcer ] that's why there's ocuvite to help replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin

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for offenders and staff. when both are pushed to the limit, pendleton's care team is called into action. >> the thing about trying to bring down the number of physical forces and it's actually brought them down. bringing every day, different people are assigned to. today we're both on the care team. whatever the situation as you go to where they call you and talk to the kid and kind of deescalate it so it doesn't go into the whole physical force and stuff like that. >> who do i got? >> okay, what's that? >> i'm the biggest threat to this mother [ bleep ]. >> okay, so we've established that. so what's going on? i don't know the student. a lot of it is like, i hope we can figure this out. so you're hungry. >> yeah. >> okay. >> frustrated. this teacher won't let me go to school. >> initially what had happened was the student was upset that he wanted to go speak with the teacher that we have on the unit. >> why would they not want you to go to school? >> i'm supposed to be working on my ged.

he said if i go to that school they will not -- and then the white student said, bring him in. >> so he was pulling the race card and was wanting her -- he wanted her attention right then and there and she wasn't able to give it to him right then and there and so he was willing to act out. >> so we're hungry and feeling some racial tension. >> racism. >> racism and the teacher won't let you get educated. >> yes. >> but what was the first established point of interest here? >> i act, yes. >> you told me you're the biggest threat in this facility. >> i am. >> so he was kicking on this door asking for the care team and he's also asking for sack lunch. maybe he just had some anxiety issues, if you will. >> counselor kate frazier learns this team was transferred to pendleton after participating in a disturbance at another facility. she quickly, but carefully, breaks down his issues. >> so if we get some lunch in you, will that help calm you down a little bit. because i'm pretty irritable

when i'm hungry. >> if i can go work on my ged. >> so you want to work on your ged. if we're not going to school to do it and we can look at doing that today, what can we do today to work on the ged here? >> i need to get out of my room. >> so really -- so really it's not about the g.e.d. right now, you're getting a little stir crazy. you're stir crazy. need a little space? >> yeah. >> let me talk to some people and if we get you to agree to work on the ged today and chill out in the behavior and maybe work out something different for tomorrow. >> yeah. >> they are kids. so you know even though they do commit crimes and some of them are violent and some of them are aggressive, but they still are kids. so they still need that attention. they still need those things that you would think a normal kid would need. >> one of those needs is to get an education, but in the heated environment at pendleton segregation unit that can be a challenge. >> some days when these young men come in, they're going to fight with me and they're going do everything they can to disrupt. a lot of them are so used to adult figures fighting with them and if you push back and then

they'll push back and then you're locked in a battle and i'm not going to win and they're not going to win and i think a lot has to depend on how the kids wake up. does that lightbulb go off? >> i got some sacks for you. >> so we got a lunch. there's check one. >> milk. >> it's all in presentation skills. you get that, right? >> yes. >> so how you're presenting yourself might be with a little bit of an edge that they're kind of giving you back an edge. >> i saw it as a positive. >> i understand that and you've been very positive here and now. but if you're upset -- sometimes when i'm upset i got a little more edge than usual and they're hearing that and they may be giving that back. so can we give him some rec so that he can work with that? a little problem is he's going stir crazy. >> okay i will work that in my schedule. >> but you need to continue to be compliant for him to give a little bit. we're give and taking here, okay? get some lunch in you and tomorrow, we'll start all over

and if you've got conflict with that teacher, just let that go because you're there to get your ged, which in the end, has nothing to do with her, right? >> yeah. >> because that's for down the road. >> she was the reason i got -- >> no. you need to take on the accountability. you're here because whatever happened with you. but you're also going to get out of here because of whatever you do. so you've got the control with that. so take her out of equation. does that work? okay? thank you. 99% of the time i would say they just want somebody to listen. they just want somebody to talk for a minute and i think that that's why the c.a.r.e. team works. most of the time, they just want to talk to somebody. >> coming up on "lockup juvenile," who will survive the competition for the last spot on echo 15? >> in the past you used to think that with your fist and not your head. the temper's a concern. >> and john madden's future comes down to this. >> i wouldn't be surprised if

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indiana's juvenile correctional facility, one of america's largest maximum

security juvenile prisons. pendleton is the last stop for teens in the juvenile justice system. but in this prison, education and rehabilitation are mandatory. for the even the toughest teen offenders. >> i've been doing this for six years now and i understand that when we come through the door that there are things that could happen this day. here, more so than other places, the teens, if you're afraid or if you show fear, then you'll be chewed up and spit out. it's actually a term called cage courage, where they tend to you hide behind the door. they're safe. from any kind of resource or anything. they can really act out. >> life in the segregation unit can run hot and cold on any given day. >> people have been down here for a while. they kind of learn to get along

and we don't really have that much of a problem with them. >> eventually, destructive teen spirit loses out to the boredom of time and seg. no one knows this better than 18-year-old john madden. >> really wasn't a very good person. i wasn't at all. that used to be the reputation i wanted. i wanted to be a bad guy. >> a year ago after two years behind bars and a past he'd rather forget, madden made a choice -- the military would be his future. >> i want to go. i want to serve my country. i have become a little bit of a patriot. and i want to fight for my country. we've got a war going on right now against terrorism and so many innocent lives have been taken. i want to fight. i want to fight for what's right. it makes me feel like i'm redeeming myself for all the bad karma that i set up for myself. >> i love this program. i am a vietnam vet myself. >> counselor frank sawyer is a corporate retiree. >> you are dealing with the physical parts of the program? >> like i've done 250 push-ups today alone. >> good.

that's excellent. >> inside pendleton, he found the work of a lifetime with kids like madden and the future soldiers of echo 15. >> the futures soldiers program kind of breathes extra life into what i'm trying to do. >> attention on deck. >> when you step in there, somebody's in your face. >> good morning. >> good morning, sir. >> attention. and they answer you, if not yes, it's yes, sir. >> yes, sir. >> this bed is a train wreck. it needs to be fixed. >> yes, sir. >> when you come face to face and head on with that kind of in charge discipline it really tells us who wants to be in the program and who does not. >> where does that go? >> the trash, sir.

>> are you ready, 15? >> always ready. >> we're very pleased with john's progress. his background is challenging, to say the least. but he takes time and he's thinking things through. i've seen him take charge, take leadership and we are really hopeful that he's going to be one of our success stories. >> good job, y'all. >> success for madden is so close he can taste it. but two major hurdles still stand in the way. getting through his final release interview to get out of prison and passing the military test to enlist in the navy once he's out. >> i'm a little discouraged. i don't know if i will handle it right, but i will try my hardest. >> hurdle number one is just around the corner. >> have a seat right there, please. mr. madden, can you tell us what you have learned since you've been here? >> the group, more seriously this time. it's helped me out a lot. i'm learning to stop and think before i do anything and that was the biggest part that was getting me in trouble because i was hot-headed and i wasn't

thinking about my actions before i did them. >> so what were your committed offense that got you here? >> originally it was battery and violations of systematic commitment. and i was released on community supervision and i violated that and came back. >> so what did you learn in the control unit? >> that i'm as much of a problem, the consequences, as anybody else is. i saved myself in that room because i wanted to be tough and cool in front of all of my boys. >> so you don't have to gain. that was your family for a while, correct? now who is going to be your family now? >> if i go into the military, my family will be my branch of military, my recruiter, my officers, my fellow enlistees. >> what's your idea of how important education is? >> get my ged would be a big step because nobody is expecting me to finish school. i didn't expect to finish school myself. a lot of people thought that i would drop out? >> didn't you have one of the highest scores in your class. >> a 92.

>> that's an excellent score. i didn't really hear you brag on that to us. >> while madden's path to release seems to be on track, back in echo 15 military officers are having a much harder time deciding who will fill the final spots in the future soldiers program. >> we have three open spots and we've gone over about 150 applications. >> once we go through all of the interviews we'll decide who is going to be the best fit and who we want. it's a competition. i mean, we have to pick the best recruits for this program. if you were serious about coming to the military unit you'd cut your hair. and you did. >> i didn't want to, but i had to. >> i didn't want to, but i had to. >> now, what happened over in 13 when you cut your hair? what did everybody else say? >> it was -- they didn't like it. they could respect that i was trying to do something different for myself and i made the decision on my own. i came here by myself and i wasn't going to leave by myself.

>> after hours of interviews and debate the team has narrowed its search but there's no guarantee all three spots will be filled. >> i could see him doing good on this unit. i'm concerned about a lot of the manipulation that's in his background. >> you look at the pool of recruits that we have, you know general recruiter on the outside, you know they go to high schools and recruit. we go to general population and recruit. a lot of guys are coming to e-15 they really want to improve themselves. >> we want the ones that really want to change. >> yeah. >> one, sir. >> the officers of echo 15 found their star soldier when madden walked through the door. before he can officially graduate from the program, he has one final step. passing his release interview with the pendleton staff. that's about to get a whole lot harder than he thought. >> is that your uniform? >> yes, sir. >> why aren't you wearing your jump boots? >> they are on the unit, sir. >> but that still doesn't answer my question. why aren't they on your feet?

>> they were in the process of being shined when i got called down here. >> did you get in a fight recently? >> yes, sir. >> tell us about that fight. >> i guess i decided to be a little vigilante. me and castro got into it. he started going off and calling him goof and saying f this, f that. and i guess i decided to take it on and i wasn't handling it right. >> what you tried to do sounds good. you had a good reason for trying to do something positive. but you just admitted to us it wasn't the right way do it. coming up -- >> we have all discussed your re-entry and talked about what we decided. a mouth breather! [ whimpers ] how do you sleep like that?

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it's been over an hour since john madden made his case to the release committee that he should finally be a free man. but after three years of counseling, hard work and a few setbacks, getting out of pendleton is never a given. >> he's one of the leaders, a squad leader, if you may, in the military. be it he was out of uniform and that was my biggest concern. why, when coming to such an important meeting would he leave something like that out? >> a very good story.

>> he's really holding other offenders up to the bar, really he's really trying to make them step up to the game and doing what they're supposed to be doing. >> he did a good job with his transition of s.a. he probably has more depth and understanding of, yeah, where he's going and what his goals are than most that i see. so that's in his favorite. and he's bright. he seems to have a purpose. >> we have all discussed your reentry and we'll talk about what we decided for you at this time. we have approved your re-entry level with the following terms that you need to complete. after three long years and a total transformation, madden is finally free.

>> told you. >> in just a few weeks he will leave pendleton, hopefully, for good. >> i'm going to be nervous. this will make me feel weird. i'm not used to not having officers breathing down my neck. i'll have a lot of leeway and it's going to feel like the best christmas gift ever. >> with madden's release from pendleton in the bag, military officers johnson, mercer, and cooley have one last mission. filling the final spot in the future soldier program. after denouncing his gang and cutting his hair, this offender is one of the lucky ones. >> i told you a long time ago, cut your hair, all you had to do was cut your hair. >> you guys. >> it sounds like you're in. >> yeah. >> thank you, sir. >> you're getting a chance. >> do you know how many people want in this program? honestly, how many people want in this program in the facility? would you say at least half the people?

>> yeah. >> so if there's three beds and you get one of them, you need to make the most the out of that opportunity. >> despite the good news for this offender, not everyone will make the cut. even though are there three beds open. the officers decide only two teens are ready for the program. after being kicked out once before, this offender gets a second and final chance. >> i'm going to say yes, i'm the drill instructor johnson and officer mercer that it's a go for me. >> i've got no problem with it. you know that. it's a go. as long as you can back up what you're selling because you're selling a pretty good product here i just hope that you can back it up. he's either going to make us look really good or make us look really bad. >> i'll be optimistic but you know, that's all that we can do. >> with future soldier interviews complete, staff can now concentrate on john madden's final step, passing the military

exam to pave the way for enlistment in the navy. >> tomorrow's just basically going to be that honeymoon period where i get to stay up all night worrying and go to sleep at about 1:00 and wake up at 4:00 to get ready, but friday, friday i'll be going to the meps station to take my the asfab test. if i would have never been locked up, i'd probably be doing the same stuff, hanging with the same crowd. i would still be a people pleaser and a fit in. i've gained a lot from this program. >> the world needs to know that at one time you will encounter these kids again and so it's my job to make sure that these kids come out of here on a different level in life. you know, being respectful, law-abiding citizens, for one. and then to be able to go out in this world and make it, and make something of themselves. >> are you ready? >> always ready, sir. >> we're not going to save them all, but know this, any offender that comes into this program

will be touched and will be embraced with a humble heart. >> i want people on the red line in five minutes. taking entirely too long. >> one, two. >> after leaving his pendleton unit through the morning routine madden is ready for what's ahead. >> i feel tired a little bit. >> i'm going to go there, do my best on my asfab. i'm nervous. a little bit of scared. i haven't been outside of the fence in a while, there's a new thing coming. i mean i turned my life around 180. i think i've came a long way. not meaning to boast or brag, but -- >> go. >> you ready? >> coat on.

>> are you ready? >> yes, sir. >> military officers dwayne cooley and rick johnson have waited for this day for months. >> how do you feel about getting ready to take the test? >> i don't know. >> i know you've been studying so if you're prepared you'll be fine. >> it's now time to make the one-hour drive to indianapolis where madden will take his three-hour military test. >> i'm very proud of him. i'm real excited, too. i'm so excited i'm not even taking the test and so, just real big day. >> i got one question for you, mr. madden. >> yes, sir. >> are you ready? >> always ready, sir. >> go. coming up on lock up pendleton juvenile. >> give him a chance is what i say.

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it's been two long days since john madden took the biggest test of his life. >> we took cadet madden to the military entrance processing station. and he took his asfab, and that's a placement exam. and he cut an 83, which is outstanding. normal is around 40. so he did twice the norm. >> i felt proud of myself. i mean, i didn't really realize the severity of it until they told me most people in indiana only score about a 35 or a 40. and i was like, wow. but, i mean, i don't know. it made me feel good. >> we knew he was intelligent. he's a natural leader. he's ever fortunate enough to get in the military, he's going

to be a superstar. there's no doubt about it. >> one, two. >> one unit. >> unfortunately for madden, though, going straight into the military is no longer an option. superintendent mike dempsey's plan to release him directly from pendleton into the navy wasn't as easy as he had hoped. >> for the navy to pursue him, he needs to be out of department of corrections for 30 days. so what we need to do is get him out of here, get him home for 30 days and then he can go in and he can take his physical. so that's the next hurdle for him. >> despite going back to his old neighborhood, madden is determined to stay away from the landmines that got him in trouble in the first place. >> i'm not going to stay getting locked up, not follow my father's path and end up in prison somewhere. i'm not going to be pedalling drugs. i'm not going to be dealing with firearms. >> ready. >> i'm done with the little hood rates scenario. it's time to be a man. >> left.

>> back into the front. take to the rear. >> back into the front. take two the rear. >> that's how we do it in here. >> one unit! >> to go back in. say good-bye to my old buddies. it will be the last time that i see most of them. aisle i might see some of them again, but i'm glad to leave. three years is a long time to be locked up. i've changed myself. so i mean i'm out of here. >> what time do you go home today, john? >> 12:00, sir. >> after spending nearly all of his teenaged years in detention centers in lockup in pendleton, 18-year-old john madden is about to be a free man. >> question, should we walk the line, sir? >> walk the line. >> stay out of trouble. have fun, bro. >> have fun. >> one, two.

>> one time. >> one unit. >> the question is, permission to walk the line, sir. >> walk the line. >> who's house is this? >> our house. >> ohh-wa. >> ohh-wa. >> i'll miss you all, man. >> yes, sir. >> as madden gets ready for his final graduation ceremony, just steps away, his mom prepares to see her son for the first time in two years. >> it's very hard on your emotions. i hate to say it, but after a while you kind of get used to him being gone, but i could come across a sock that belonged to him or walk back past something that his favorite or something and just, you know, break down in tears because, you know, you know they're gone for a while.

>> 35. one en route to visitation and one en route to the typing hall from the 11. >> we've got a lot of challenges ahead of us, john. me and you. coming into a new situation, okay? i love you very much. i am so proud of you. >> thank you. >> welcome to the pendel ton correctional facility graduate day. i had the opportunity to work with all of these guys. i would like to point out, john madden, he has really had a lot of achievements since he's been here and i'm just glad to see this day happen. >> get dressed.

>> after three years in pendleton, john will now walk out a free man. >> take care. >> take care of yourself. >> all right. >> he carries with him the hopes of all those who have witnessed his transformation. >> make yourself proud, john. >> but john madden has hopes of his own. >> six months, i want you to see a successful young man. i want you to see somebody that went out and did what he was talking about. i want you all to see something good.

due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. where do you want me? >> a brutal stabbing puts the prison on edge. >> will it be a thorough one? >> a brash new inmate gets taken down a notch. >> it ain't your business to take care of that, man. >> two buddies do their time together. >> my first cat saved my life during a contract hit. he woke me up when the guy tried to take me out. >> oh, no! >> and now we put our cameras in