Today's Youth

Many of us see the numbers escalating with youth violence, whether its on television, news or even the newspaper. Kids that commit a crime are put into some type of Juvenile Justice System, such as Juvenile Hall. Juvenile Hall--a Reform school first opened in Chicago during 1855--focused on helping young offenders avoid a lifetime of crime. The initial purpose of Juvenile Hall was to rehabilitation delinquent teens, yet it has become a place of punishment. While coming across a few articles on the Juvenile Justice System, I became more curious with the process of rehabilitation within Juvenile Hall.

While teens are just being thrown into Juvenile Hall, it seems as though not a lot of effort is put into knowing their background. What initially got them into this situation, their history? Many are abused by their family members and others just neglected. This takes a toll on a young child or teen. For example, in Reymundo Sanchez's book "My Bloody Life," Sanchez explains his very rough upbringing. Sanchez was rapped by his older cousin at the age of five, while his mother was on her honeymoon (She was also married several times.) One of the men she married beat Sanchez numerous times, and his mother would also beat him. Struggling to survive at home he went to the streets and later became a gang member. The gang gave him shelter when he needed it, and showed him love, but this love had a big price to pay. Becoming a gang member, he sold drugs and committed many murders all before the age of 18.

Children do not have a say of where they would like to be born or who they want their parents to be, it is preselected. I recently attended a program in Union City, a Guide to Changing Destructive Behavior. There comes a certain point when a kid is so destructive, a parent can no longer say "I love you." Not because they do not love the kid anymore, but due to all this anger held inside. It seems a though those three words will do nothing, but on the contrary, those three little words have so much meaning. Parents get so caught up in their bad behavior, they keep all the anger inside and take it out on the child. A Guide to Changing Destructive Behavior, guides parents in the right path on how to go about treating and helping their kid's bad behavior. Many parents attending these program have no idea that the way they behave effects their child's behavior. A kid that does not have a healthy relationship with their parents will not want to spend time at home, leading them to go on the streets and search for acceptance there. So many kids are going to the streets to find people that accept them for who they are, but it only leads to more destructive behavior and bigger consequences.

It seems as though more and more teens are put into Juvenile Hall and the keep returning. It makes you wonder what's happening behind these walls. The head coordinator of the volunteer center at my college Mr. Smith, also works at the San Mateo Juvenile Hall. While conducting research on rehabilitation programs offered at the San Mateo Juvenile Hall, I was left disappointed. Then, I soon came to find out after speaking to Jessica--a former volunteer at the Juvenile Hall--there were not any volunteer positions open at this time and they referred me back to Mr. Smith. I wrote an email to him asking if he knew of any volunteer positions open and his response was ,"I myself am not quite sure of the programs." I was astounded that someone who works in the facility has no knowledge of rehabilitation programs being offered. I started feeling the distress and hopelessness and even anger trying to reach some opportunity to help these kids. I now only imagine how the families of these troubled teenagers might feel when they have come seeking for help but find nothing instead.

Rehabilitation programs within Juvenile Hall are essential for helping our youth staying off the streets and preventing them from committing more serious crimes. Instead of spending taxpayers money on creating more facilities to house convicts, we should focus on programs with their needs. Whether it be mental-health programs or drug and alcohol addictions programs. While skimming through some articles, I came across one, "Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center: The Juvenile Mental Health System Does Not Work," by Ann Quigley. It states, "In the last 15 years, matters have grown worse, primarily because of the way states have responded." Many kids put into Juvenile Hall are not in a stable mental-health state. For instance," One 18-year-old whose mental illness had gone untreated for years eventually hanged himself in the state's Supermax prison." This could have been prevented, if the young inmate would have been put into the necessary treatment program. For example, one teen named Tonya was fortunate enough to receive treatment and goes on to say, " ...the treatment a lifesaver, and reflected on what might have happened if the clinic's services weren't available. The juvenile jail's next door, and every week I drive in here and think, If it wasn't for this place, he might be over there." There is so much hope and potential for our youth, just not enough being done. Authorities have lost their main purpose to give a chance for rehabilitation and focus on punishment and confinement.

Drugs and alcohol are other major issues many incarcerated teens are faced to deal with on their own. Four out of five inmates have some type of drug or alcohol problem. Being released as drug addicts and alcoholics, this leads them to follow the same path they followed before. In the article, "Oakland; Drug rehab hospital gives hope to teens; Celebrity tennis tournament to aid culinary program by Kelly St. John, discusses how finding the source of the problem and aiding it is the solution. In Oakland, a program called Thunder Road, is the only chemical dependency recovery hospital for youth in California. At Thunder Road their treatment is helped through various types of therapy and education. This treatment facility has helped over two hundred thousand people with drug and alcohol abuse. One success story comes from a boy named James Lee Williams, he had gone to Juvenile Hall seven times by the age of seventeen. Convicted of crimes while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he commited crimes like robbery, extortion, and making terrorist threats. The judge sent him to Thunder Road for a year. William changed his ways and said, "Now, I feel like I have my priorities straight." So many teens could benefit from programs just as this, but not many are available. During 2005 there were roughly fourteen thousand teens incarcerated in Juvenile Halls, and only two hundred and fifty beds within group homes with drug and alcohol treatments. Thunder Road, though being a licensed hospital and group home, has only fifty beds. These statics show how few treatment facilities there are for our troubled youth, yet it is not the main priority.

Many teens do not get the opportunity to get into these programs, due to lack of priority and government funds. So, what happens to these teens when they are released from Juvenile Hall? When released, they are in the most vulnerable and fragile state. Left to face the toughest decisions, and sometimes leaving them all alone. Without getting treatment from inside the system, it is more than likely a relapse will occur. Aftercare programs are also key, but are they enough? "For Youths Fresh Out of Jail, a Little Help Staying Out, by Shadi Rahimi express, "...while many adults embrace the opportunity[for aftercare], the response from young inmates has been lukewarm." Juveniles have a different mindset than our average teenagers. Coming from abusive or neglected families, they are taught to fend for themselves and do not want others help. Grabbing their attention and keeping it is crucial for the first 90 days out of Juvenile Hall. By keeping teens engaged in a positive way such as aftercare programs like Friends of Island Academy gives them a 70% chance of not returning to Juvenile Hall. The success rate of Friends of Island Academy is an astounding 80% rate. Even though the success rate of this aftercare program is high, keeping them motivated and focused is essential.

A teen needs to have the desire within to want to succeed. If that motivation is not there, this whole process of progression will be just thrown out the window. Sometimes living in a certain environment where respect and acceptance is earned by being a "bad ass," the inner motivation is hard to find. Being exposed to only tragic events in life and hardship, it is hard to see past the devastation. Having a mentor, someone to look up to may play such a huge roll on changing a teens life. They need A person to guide them in the right direction and giving inspiration to succeed and become the best they can be. Society plays such a tremendous role on our youth today, yet there seem to be unaware of it. Rehabilitation is replaced with punishment and not much action is being done for our troubled teens. So many teens in Juvenile Hall have the potential to better themselves and have a bright future, all they need is a little help getting started. Programs helping them cope with
the stress they endure each and every day, drugs and alcohol that they take to suppress the anger and depression. We need to help our youth because they are the future.