Picture a youngster that you love dearly, perhaps 11 or 12 years old. It might be your child, grandchild, or the child of a close friend. Now, think of him in an orange jumpsuit, with handcuffs on his wrists, his ankles bound by shackles, and weighed down by as much as 26 pounds of chain. It would break your heart.

These restraints are automatically used in many states, even for children who face minor charges and pose no safety or flight risk. Some of the juvenile cases involve nothing more serious than skipping school, running away from home, violating curfew, or being incorrigible: so-called “status offenses.”