4 Troubled Teens Blog

The two dozen teenagers sitting in Courtroom Eight of Tampa's George E. Edgecomb Courthouse had been arrested for different offenses, but were there for the same reason: They'd been given a second chance. They had been allowed to trade jail time and probation for a six-week program called "Shock Education."

St. Petersburg Times staff writer Amy Mariani reported on the program in an Aug. 7 article:

Shock Education is part of the countrys Juvenile Diversion Program and is designed to do more than scare delinquents straight. ... Boys and girls, ages 12 to 18, are referred to the program by different agencies -- juvenile court, probation offices, Department of Children and Families, school resource officers and parents.

Participants attend a variety of sessions on topics including gun violence and safe sex, Mariani reported. They meet teen moms, parents who lost teenagers to violence and peers who have been convicted of crimes. Teens can only attend the program once. If they are arrested again they will serve their original sentences.

Labels: florida, jails, education, alternatives

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Wyoming's juvenile justice program coordinator is pushing for alternatives to jail for the state's juvenile offenders. In Beth Evans' study, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, she argues that jail is not only expensive, but often exposes young people to even more violent crime.

"Evans made clear in her report that gathering the information wasn't easy. For example, she said many youths are locked up for violating probation, but documentation showing what those youths did to get in trouble in the first place can be difficult to track down."

Wyoming is currently the only state choosing not to comply with the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act that governs how and when youths should be jailed. Source: Billings Gazette

Labels: alternatives, juvenile_crime, delinquents

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments