Vachss grew up in New York learning about turfs, violence and cruelty. He was not abused as a child, but saw the effects in his friends. By high school the rage had begun. After graduating from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, he got a job with the U.S. Public Health Service. His position was to track the spread of syphilis for the purpose of eradication.
Social workers say no, evil people don t exist.
They come up with reasons to explain their behavior. But Vachss believes that they are evil, and they made a choice. Through his other career choices he continued learning the social dysfunctions of society. Here he used his tough as nails nature, and his knowledge of the streets to stabilize the facility. His interaction with the incarcerated youth taught him the reasons why they were there.