What are the motifs in No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court by Edward Humes?

The choice to change is a recurring idea. Some of the kids in the juvenile justice system were irredeemable, or at least were considered irredeemable, kids like Ronald Duncan. But others changed, some before it was too late. Many of the kids opened up in Humes's writing class, like Elias, Geri and George. It is unclear to Humes why some changed and some didn't. And it is unclear that any one factor actually altered their behavior. Those who chose to straighten up were not necessarily the rich ones, the educated ones or the ones with good families.