Vicki by John Benton

From the back cover:

The infamous Bourbon Street district in New Orleans gave Vicki Hensley plenty of chance to vent her anger on the world.  With a gun in her hand, she could outsmart just about everyone—except the law.

Her criminal escapades carried a heavy price tag, however.  Serving time in the notorious "stockade," Vicki encountered all kinds of hurt and despair—especially in her own soul.  Faced with a future behind bars, her thoughts turned to suicide.

Then, an unusual message of hope penetrated Vicki's darkened world:  "You may be in prison, but the prison doesn't have to be in you."  What happened afterwards changed her life—forever.

VICKI provides a startling glimpse into prison life... a realistic story of a young woman's self-discovery... and an encounter with the truth that could make a dramatic difference in your life, as well.
 
Content: suicide attempt, completed suicide, violence, theft, drug use, homophobia, transgender issues

From page 80:

"That all depends.  If the judge is in a good mood that day, it could be six months.  If his mood is bad, it could be fifty years.  If the assistant district attorney wants to make an example out of you, it could be more.  If he's busy and wants to get this over with, the judge could even dismiss the charges and put you on probation.  You'd be out free."

Was this justice?  Why should my sentence be determined by the mood of some judge or the case load of some assistant district attorney?  Why wasn't there some way I would know exactly how long I was going to get, so I would know whether to fight or not?

Of course what happens is that the police decide to work out a deal with Vicki.  They want her to turn informant and help them bring the drug dealers to justice.  The police even give Vicki's gun back to her so that she will have protection. 

From pages 172 and 173:

She handed me the book, and I studied the cover.  It looked like any other paperback on the newsstands.  Only this Lori looked a lot like me.  I started to thumb through the book, and one of her experiences caught my eye, and I started reading.

"Not now," Wigge said, pulling the book from my hands.  "When you start one of John Benton's books, it's hard to put it down until you're finished.  There'll be plenty of time for you to read this, later."

While it's a bit funny for Benton to be praising his books in his own books, I do agree with the sentiment.  These books are hard to put down.

I wasn't very interested in the beginning of the story, but I became quite absorbed later.  I especially enjoy the parts where the character is in prison.  This is because the character is in a difficult situation, and I love teen books the best when the character has a great struggle.