4 Troubled Teens Blog

A juvenile probation officer who says she was "troublemaker" in her younger days has been honored for her efforts to help troubled teens lead more productive and satisfying lives.

Andrea Thompson's story was featured in a March 24 honoluluadvertiser.com article by Joan Conrow:

"I tell my kids, I actually know more than they think," Thompson said. "When I was in high school, I was one troublemaker. I was a huge troublemaker. The difference is I never got arrested. I tell them that even if they're in trouble now, it doesn't always have to be like this. It all comes down to choice."

Thompson, who recently won the "Spirit of the Judiciary Award" for her outstanding job performance, does more than serve as a good role model. She also tries to get the 100 or so juveniles assigned to her back on the right track.

"I can't protect everyone or help everyone, but you have to try and do the best job possible," she said. "It's kind of a thankless job, but for me, it's rewarding, because I know with some kids, I've made a difference."

Labels: juvenile crime, probation, laws

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 1 Comment

Juvenile offenders who work with mediators and make amends to their victims cut their chances of reoffending in half, according to a study of the juvenile system in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

• Donna Decker Morris of the University of New Haven found that juvenile cases that enter mediation are typically minor offenses, such as vandalism, disturbing the peace, and other misdemeanors.
  
• All parties have to agree to participate in the mediation process. Teenage offenders make amends by apologizing, performing community service, and so forth.
  
• They discuss what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent future incidences.
  
• The Morris study found that victims were more satisfied when they were part of the process.

Morris said that young people can feel like they are victims of society who are being unfairly treated, but mediation forces them to accept responsibility for what they have done.

"A lot of young people feel like the system is against them," she said, "so they see no need to change their behaviors."

Labels: juvenile crime, recidivism, mediation

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Cincinnati Police are warning a local community about a local gang that has been linked to a series of beatings and robberies. "The gang is implicated in violent beatings and robberies in Westwood. One woman was attacked outside the library, another by a school. Seven teens have been arrested so far." Police say the gang members range in age from 12 to 15-years-old and have likely gotten involved because gang life offers the friendship and protection they don't get at home. Source: Local 12 (Cincinnati)

Labels: violence, juvenile crime, gangs

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The Wayne County (MI) Prosecutor's Office has gotten creative in the way in deals with troubled teens: Young people who commit minor crimes are sentenced by a jury of their peers.

"Teens who are accused of minor violations such as shoplifting or fighting in school and have no previous criminal record are given a second chance... The teens are sentenced by a jury of teens, and if they successfully complete the program without violating the terms of their sentence, Wayne County prosecutors dismiss the case and do not file formal charges."

The teens' parents are required to attend the proceedings, so that the jury can question them as well. Often, the teens are sentence to probation and some kind of community service. Source: WDIV-4 (Detroit)

Labels: juvenile crime, peers, courts

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Jeanne Milstein, Connecticut's child advocate, has criticized the state for sending a number of young girls to the state prison for women.

"[Milstein] takes issue with the state Department of Children and Families over the growing numbers of troubled teens being placed at the New York Correctional Institution for women... Milstein says the maximum-security prison for adult women can't meet the needs of complex and vulnerable girls."

At the time of Milstein's report, 37 girls ages 15 to 17 were incarcerated in the prison. Source: Associated Press

Labels: juvenile crime, girls, delinquents

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

For many working parents, a child's teenage years are just as stressful, if not more so, than the infant and toddler years. Teens that are left home alone and unsupervised are far more likely to get into trouble. In fact, recent studies have shown that half of all crimes committed by teens happen during the day - not at night.

"Quality after-school programs at high schools or in the community are viewed as the best way to decrease teen crime, increase safety and reduce teen pregnancy. Some of the better programs teach job skills and community service. Yet, middle and high school students now experience the greatest unmet need for after-school programs."

Read more at MiamiHerald.com.

Learn more about juvenile delinquents and parental liability at About-Juvenile-Deliquents.com.

Labels: stress, juvenile crime, delinquents

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Lee County, in Southwest Florida, has released a list of "top 10 teens in trouble", in hopes of cutting down on juvenile crime in the area.

"In Lee County, the sheriff's office says six percent of criminals are responsible for close to half the crime. That is why the sheriff's office's new anti-crime unit constantly checks up on the teens on the new top ten list. The goal is to make sure they are staying out of trouble. But deputies say just letting the teens know they are being watched can also scare them away from breaking the law."

Teen are able to get off the list by improving their behavior and staying out of trouble. Read more at NBC-2.com.

Labels: juvenile crime, awareness, police

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

A study of 800 young people ages ten to 24 years old found that those from low income backgrounds were twice as likely to say that they had sex by age 11 , and more likely to say they were involved in criminal activities by age 10.

Middle-class youth were 1.5 times more likely to say they had abused alcohol by age ten years.

No one is sure if low income participants in the study were more likely to get into risky behaviors in early ages or simply more likely to admit to doing them.

However, those children in the study who had gotten involved at very young ages with unprotected sex, delinquency, and alcohol were more likely to be involved in crime, alcohol abuse, and risky sex as young adults.

"Crime, alcohol use disorders, and risky sex are common among young adults, especially those from low income backgrounds. These problems are costly to address, and they decrease the health and well-being of young people, and usually began during young adolescence," according to lead author W. Alex Mason.

The study appears in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
 

Labels: sex, juvenile crime, alcohol_abuse

Posted By: CRC Health 0 Comments

A Chicago-area mom feels like she’s at the end of her rope. Her 17-year-old son is robbing houses, breaking into cars and disappearing for days at a time. Now, some local gangs have coming looking for him, hoping to make him a new recruit.

The teen’s mom is now asking local authorities to lock him up, either in a juvenile detention facility, or a mental health ward. She fears it’s the only way to get him some help and keep him from hurting either himself or someone else.

“West Side Youth Network, an agency under contract with the state that specializes in crisis intervention, was unsuccessful in its efforts to help this family. ‘You have a deeply disturbed youth who is resistant to any kind of help, and that has been difficult,’ said Kendall Marlow, a spokesman for the Department of Children and Family Services.” - Source: Chicago Sun-Times

 

Labels: parental_involvement, juvenile crime, mothers

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment