report

Girls in juvenile system recommend program improvements

Retaining and hiring more trained counselors, getting families involved and offering aftercare programs could help keep girls in juvenile detention from becoming repeat offenders, several girls who went through the system told lawmakers Tuesday. Two girls said they had counselors leave shortly after they entered the system, forcing them to start over to find a staffer with whom they were comfortable discussing their problems. “They're there for a while and then they leave. I mean, what kind of help is that? You're there to help me and then you leave?” a 16-year-old girl named Krystal told the House Justice Appropriations Committee, which only provided the first names of the girls and women participating in the panel discussion. Another said she left the juvenile system only to return to the same single-parent home where her older sisters did drugs and where she again fell into bad habits. Her mother and sisters were never involved in the counseling she received while in detention. “All the problems I had when I went in that were family based were there when I got out,” said Mary, who was 15 when she was first arrested on drug charges. “It should always be family-oriented therapy if you're going to do anything.”

While overall, the girls praised counseling programs and credited them with helping to improve their grades and eventually stay out of trouble, some told lawmakers that they weren't getting enough help while in detention centers for the most serious offenders.

“It's almost like boot camp,” said Jacquelyn, who was 15 when she was put in the system for three grand theft and three armed burglary charges. “They do have counseling, but it was mostly discipline. We were talked down to, mostly, by the staff.”

Mary, now 20, added that the department can't expect children to be helped by low-paid staff that haven't been trained to work with children. “Don't you think those staff members should care about the kids in some way and have some kind of background with kids?” she asked lawmakers. “Because if you just hire somebody that's got a diploma and that's willing to work, what help does that do for any of the kids? They're just like baby sitters.”

Jacquelyn, now 22, said she later went into a program with intense counseling, finished school and graduated from Florida State University last summer.

While each of the seven testifying before the committee now have success stories, each also pointed out shortcomings in the juvenile justice system. The talked about how children were overprescribed psychotropic drugs, judges paid little attention to family history when sentencing children and boys degraded girls when in coed programs. “It's amazing to sit and listen to you all — the level of maturity, responsibility. It seems like there are seven women here that have just completely turned your lives around,” said committee vice chair John Seilier, D-Pompano Beach. “With you giving us information and some feedback, we can hopefully improve the system and turn around 700 or 7,000.”

Brendan Farrington
15 February 2005

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050215/APN/502151044

home / Previous feature