4 Troubled Teens Blog

A state-run Florida program is receiving praise for effectively keeping troubled teens out of the juvenile court system. The Child in Need of Services program works with kids ages 10 to 17 who are deemed to be troubled, and to have the potential to commit crimes.

"The state says about 85 percent of those who spend time at one of its shelters do not commit a crime within six months of being released," the Associated Press reported. "For those with less severe issues who receive nonresidential counseling, the programs success rate is about 95 percent."

The program is said to save millions in taxpayer money by keeping kids out of the court system and out of prison.

Labels: prevention, jails

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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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As the global economic recession continues, states are being forced to slash an increasing number of community services to balance budgets. One the unintended consequences is that young people with mental illnesses are being treated in jail cells rather than counselors offices.

An Aug. 9 article by New York Times writer Solomon Moore provided the following details about the problem:

About two-thirds of the nations juvenile inmates -- who numbered 92,854 in 2006, down from 107,000 in 1999 -- have at least one mental illness, according to surveys of youth prisons, and are more in need of therapy than punishment.

"We're seeing more and more mentally ill kids who couldnt find community programs that were intensive enough to treat them," said Joseph Pen, a child psychiatrist at the Texas Youth Commission. "Jails and juvenile justice facilities are the new asylums."

Nearly 35 states have cut community mental health programs by an average of five percent, the Times reported, and many plan to double those reductions for the 2010 fiscal year.

Labels: mental_illness, jails, young_adults

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In Missouri, the juvenile justice system looks very different than in most states. Here, troubled teens are viewed not as inmates but as works in progress. Rather than being locked away in juvenile jails, young people are place in home-like settings where they attend group therapy, drug rehabilitation if needed and family therapy session.

"The results? About 8.6 percent of teens who complete Missouri's program are incarcerated in adult prisons within three years of release, according to 2006 figures. (In New York, 75 percent are re-arrested as adults, 42 percent for a violent felony.)"

There's no timetable for the program, which means that teens are released only when they make a certain amount of progress. Knowing this pushes the teens to fully engage in the program.

Labels: jails, treatment_programs, therapy

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Florida's State Attorney's Office, in conjunction with the Florida Prison System, has started giving jail tours to teens and their parents, in an effort to show kids what can happen if they get in trouble with the law.

"[Chief Assistant State Attorney Jay] Plotkin says most studies show teens who come through a program like this will not get in trouble with the law and will understand that if they make the wrong choices they will end up in jail."

During the school year, the program focuses mainly on troubled or at-risk teens, but during the summer it's open to everyone. Read more at FirstCoastNews.com.

Looking for a list of military boarding schools? Learn more at Boot-Camps-Info.com.

Labels: prevention, jails, consequences

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Young people in San Bernardino County who are in trouble with the law and are also suffering from mental disorders often find themselves in juvenile detention. Unfortunately, it’s not a place that can provide the kind of help these adolescents and teenagers need.

Experts estimate that from 40 percent to 70 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system suffer from some form of mental health disorder or an illness – anything from ADHD to full blown psychosis. About 15 percent to 25 percent have mental illnesses "severe enough to significantly impair their ability to function." [Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]

The Department of Behavioral Health has implemented a new program aimed at taking better care of mentally ill youth. Called the Integrated New Family Opportunities program, it provides 24-hour case management and family support for after the kids are released. There is still, however, the issue of how best to care for kids who are still in the system.

 

Labels: mental_health, jails

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments