Mobile museum helping to combat youth violence in Charlotte

Former correctional officer using mobile museum to help combat youth violence

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A former correctional officer is using a school bus to help combat the rise in youth crime across the Mecklenburg County area. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes youth violence as a serious public health problem across our nation. A recent report from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department found shootings involving juvenile suspects jumped by 33% and shootings involving a juvenile victim increased 18%.

The initiative behind the mobile museum

Lorenzo Steele Jr. operates the Behind These Prison Walls Mobile Prison Art Museum. It’s a school bus filled with hard truths about the prison system. Steele takes teens on tours inside the bus to show them the harsh realities of prison. Steele, a professional photographer, worked 12 years as a New York City corrections officer on Rikers Island. This was at a time when teen boys as young as 16 were incarcerated there.

“Imagine a 16-year-old coming to the prison system for the first time,” Steele said. “They learned the hard way.” Steele photographed the images seen inside his mobile museum, showing many of the horrors and pain he witnessed at the prison.

“I used to take pictures of common areas,” Steele said. “I saw abuse, incidents that still traumatize me to this day.” Steele uses the museum to educate youth about prison experiences.

Encouraging youth to make better choices

“It didn’t start with the bus but it evolved into [this],” Steele said. “After leaving corrections, I knew I had to do something. The average child, even parents, did not realize the realities that take place behind bars.” Steele says the bus tours are discouraging teens from going down the wrong path. He hopes more young people will do the same.

“The biggest concern is them not being aware of the consequences of their choices and decision that could have lifelong effects on not only them but the families they haven’t had yet,” Steele said. “Ask yourself if you are really built for jail. No one is.” Steele shared a poem, written by a high school student he currently mentors.

It reads, in part: “I never knew myself / ‘Till I got life from the judge while the woman who gave me life in this world watched, / That’s when I knew I screwed myself” Steele is in the process of expanding to make the first prison art museum in Charlotte to help combat youth violence in the community.

Contact information for further engagement

Any parents or businesses interested in learning more about Steele’s work can contact him at Lorenzosteele9741@gmail.com.

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