Alyssa Bustamante: In jail since Oct. 23, 2009
It's been 13 months since Alyssa Bustamante was charged as an adult with murdering 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten. Since then, Bustamante has been at the Morgan County Jail, under the supervision of Jail Sergeant Cody Worthley. (Read more)
“Once they're certified as an adult they get treated like any other adult we house here,” Jail Sergeant Cody Worthley said. “The only precaution we do, and we do this with anyone that comes in for the 1st time, we monitor them for a few days and make sure they get adjusted."
Alyssa is being held in a cell pod. It's similar to a dorm room with bunk beds for more than 20 other women all living together with no privacy.
“They have phones in there,” Worthley said. “They have games, cards and checkers. They have a TV in there they can watch all day long."
Alyssa also has access to GED books, but a court battle is still going on whether she can take long distance learning courses to finish high school.
Alyssa usually stays in bed, with a blanket over her head said Worthley.
"I think 15, 16 is the youngest we've ever had,” said Worthley. “She's like any other inmate. They just sit there and do their stuff upstairs. And she does keep to herself. Until problems arise, then I'll get concerned about it. But as long as everyone is on their best behavior up there, then I have no concern for them."
Worthley said Alyssa has never caused a problem.
Psychologist Dr. Colin Duggan, who has worked with adolescents in the correctional system, said teens in adult jails is a delicate situation and it needs to be looked at case by case when dealing with a defendants' mental health.
“Hypothetically, a child thrown into an environment like that could suffer consequences: not learning to deal with stress appropriately, learning how to contain their impulses, acting out violently,” Duggan said.
