I have watch the city of Fond du Lac, in the state of Wisconsin, transform in the past 10 years or so. This was not a good transformation and it made me concerned for kids in my neighborhood in community. I was not really aware the programs that we’re offered to the community, nor did I seek these programs for help when I needed it most. Every now and again, I will drive past the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) chapter that is just over the railroad tracks before you get on the highway. I realized that this nonprofit organization was in place to help but I didn’t know how it could help me. During my research I was able to answer questions that I have asked myself a decade ago and learned more about a program that could have helped me survive …show more content…
Our Mission. (n.d.) Although the goals seem to be the same, I believe it would not be beneficial for the BBBS to associate themselves with the juvenile justice system. Children have a tendency to avoid interactions with the juvenile justice system for various reasons. We have already learned in prior readings and discussions that our juvenile justice system is broke and trust is not there. Troubled youth are more likely to succeed and make their community stronger by being a part of an organization that has no ties to a government agency, which is usually dictated by legislation. The type of interaction that the BBBS can provide is unparalleled to that of the juvenile justice system. I did just read an article about the BBBS taking on court-referred juveniles, so there is a sign that a juvenile justice system is taking steps in the right direction, but I believe as soon as the government, whether it is state or federal, starts offering money or donations to these type of programs, that they will demand some sort of say and how these programs are ran, rendering programs …show more content…
This trust and bond allows for communication that unlikely to be seen in the juvenile justice system. The type of interaction in this program versus a juvenile justice program allows intervention at a more successful rate, I believe. A child would be more willing to take the recommendation from their big. There are some weaknesses and difficulties to the BBBS. A difficulty or weakness would be insufficient financial support for volunteers due to resource constraints. Although adults are informed that any activities that require payments will not be reimbursed by BBBS, I would imagine it’s very difficult to tell your little “no” when asked to do something special, so it is quite possible that being a big could get very expensive. Funding also ties into the creation of new programs that are tailored to evolving problems in the community. These funds can be frozen at any time, which could put a halt to operations during a time of
The reason for this program is to use innovative approaches in developing programs, which will teach youth alternatives to violence, substance abuse, anger issues, low self-esteem, and the consequences as a result of making bad choices. During, the program non-violence, team building, leadership development and communication skills is promoted. A neutral and positive setting is provided for young people, so they are able to come together from different gangs throughout the city to work on their issues and programs together. When a youth is referred to the program they have an Intake-Assessment with the family. “Together, a Program Contract/Service Plan will be developed based on the individual needs of the youth/family. If the youth is on probation/parole all requirements of the courts will be incorporated into their contract. Services offered are case management, mediation, innovative focus groups, presentations, collaboration with other youth service organizations, and attendance at court hearings” (Stop ABQ Gangs,
Today not only do we have adults committing crimes, but millions of adolescents are committing the same crimes as adults. “Statistics show more than 1.1 million youths being arrested on a daily basis, and more than 800,000 youths belonging to different gangs (Siegel &Welsh, 2014).” It is the state juvenile authorities to deal with these children and the cost is massive. So states came up with programs to put a stop to kids becoming delinquents. With doing so they hope to save money and help kids.
Big Creek People In Action, Inc.’s mission statement is to serve “the community of McDowell County in the realms of education and literacy, leadership development, volunteer service, service learning, arts and culture, housing, recreation, and collaborative partnerships (Big Creek People In Action, Inc., 2012, ¶1). The location of the organization is Caretta, West Virginia, sitting at the intersection of three roads between several mountains. In the early morning, the sun shines down on the building, a former school that is called the Caretta Community Center. Here, people take fitness classes such as Zumba, classes to prepare to take the GED, send their children for after school care, and apply for assistance programs like the ones that make home repairs. Although the loss of coal, and lack of other industries has left a severe lack of jobs in the community the center also offers job search training, resume preparation, and some job training programs (Big Creek People In Action, Inc., 2012, ¶1-45). One line on the agency’s website could be deemed objectionable, however, as it seems to almost sneer at the people served. “Big Creek People in Action also has a Job Training Program for those placed here by the Department of Health and Human Resources to perform community service in or...
I would inform them so that they could assist me and my mission and also so that they could provide me with possible solutions. I would also call the bank and set up an account just for scholarship awards. I would send my team to contact Re/max to scout for buildings with farmland nearby so that we could start working on the first neighborhood center before building the rest of them. Re/Max has been around for over 40 years and is “is a leader in the commercial and investment arenas”. Although it would cost more, I would get it furnished by local small independent businesses. The centers would focus on making the people independent and teaching core values and ethics to make them a more productive part of society. They could grow and tend to the land and feed themselves and the neighborhood. I would get homedepot to help with the gardening supplies, fruit and vegetable seeds, and sheds for the supplies. I would also reach out to Big Brothers and Big Sisters so that neighborhood kids could have good role models to look up to. It is an organization that “helps children realize their potential and build their futures….nurture children and strengthen communities.” I would have to recruit teachers to help at the facility as well. Whether it be art, music, dance, home
Nell Bernstein, the author of Burning Down The House: The End Of Juvenile Prison has a very strong opinion about juvenile facilities. He believes that children do not learn to correct their behavior by being forced into these facilities because the main root of their behavior stems from their “broken” family structures, in more cases than not. This is supported from the text when he states “In fact multiple studies have shown that putting youth behind bars not only fails to enhance public safety; it does just the opposite, driving low-level delinquents deeper into criminality and increasing the likelihood that they will end up behind bars again and again.” Bernstein really tries to push his audience to agree with his opinion; to stop putting
Justice has always been the goal of our court system, but it is not always served, especially in cases involving juveniles. The judiciary process has evolved from a system that did not initially consider juveniles, to one where juveniles have their own court proceedings, facilities, and even rules or laws. The juvenile justice system has come a long way, and people have worked very hard in its creation. A juvenile is considered to be an individual, under the age of 18, resembling an adult. However, resembling an adult does not always mean that juveniles will have an adult mindset. Thus, juveniles may need extra attention to help get their lives on track. This paper will analyze various ways involving juveniles and correction facilities and programs.
If so many offenders who are non-violent are being transferred in order to be treated as adults, what are their chances of rehabilitation? The answer is they don’t have any because they were not even allowed the opportunity. How can a juvenile offender be expected to improve when the decision to charge them as an adult is an option that could easily be taken even if the offense committed is not the serious act the transfer process is meant to combat? In the 1997 article, Justice for Children: How Do We Get There?, the argument is that … “the juvenile court will not survive if it takes on the challenge and the ‘heat’ of attempting to deal with older children who commit serious crimes” … (Geraghty, p. 199). That insinuates that transferring juveniles who have committed serious enough crimes is in the best interest of the juvenile court system, not the juveniles who are at risk of being locked up. However, transferring a child to adult court is basically saying that the individual is any beyond help the juvenile court can provide and does deserve to be given the chances at possibly improving and being rehabilitated. How can the title of juvenile justice system be claimed by a court system that is not serving the children who just happen to be the very reason for its
... working with. Overall it helps distinguish juveniles who are in immediate needs of treatment from a large group in a short amount of time, thus making it efficient and gives a more likely reason to send them to be treated properly, rather than sending them to be imprisoned.
I started to realize that there was a lot that I didn’t know about juvenile justice or law. For example, there are at least 336 youth out of every 100,000 confined in the United States every year under the juvenile justice system (jjie.org. n.d.). Now this information is good when it comes to trying to rebuild the juvenile justice system or create your own system. It gives you some actual numbers that you can use to determine the proper direction to go when it comes to try to build a system that will stop juvenile from returning to the court or juvenile prisons. Unfortunately, there is one other place in the world other than the United States that has a high rate of juveniles going to prison which is South Africa but their rate is only 69 out of every 100,000 youth (jjie.org. n.d.). However, South Africa does not truly have the resource to deal with their juvenile in the way the United States does. Therefore, there are ways we can make this number smaller but we would have to look at some of the main problems of our juvenile and the high cost of confining our juvenile. If we look at these things we can stop building prison and start to place that money into programs to help our juvenile as well as reduce the recidivism rate. Furthermore, the programs have to be based totally on reducing the recidivism rate as well as teaching them how to control themselves when they are about to find themselves getting
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America was started over ninety years ago. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) agencies have provided supportive, one-to-one relationships between adult volunteers and youth living in single-parent homes. Today, BBBSA provides about 75,000 young people with one-to-one supports (Public /Private Ventures, 1995a). In a presentation of the BBBS services, Public/Private Ventures (1995a:4) stated the following: Volunteer screening is a must and is a very strict procedu...
The dilemma of juvenile incarceration is a problem that thankfully has been declining, but still continues to be an ethical issue. The de-incarceration trend has coincided with a decrease in crime. It is hopeful that our nation is changing the approach to the treatment of juveniles in the criminal justice system. It means we know what to do and what is working, now just to follow through and continue the change to creating a juvenile justice system that is truly rehabilitative and gives youth tools to be able to be positive members of
This past summer I had the opportunity to perform community service and participate in an event called “Upward Bound”. The purpose of this event is to reach out to children who come from broken homes, and help them to become leaders in their homes, schools and communities.
The relationship between young people and nonprofits can be the start of a significant change in our community, and should be a reciprocal and powerful educational experience. An open-minded and encouraging flow of communication between organizations and community members can be the launchpad for the social and environmental change organizations talk about and try for every day. Together, we can make change – not just a semblance of idealism, but reality, as well.
The juvenile court is, unfortunately, funded on false premises. Its purpose is to shield youths from their consequences of their own actions. A crime is a crime, no matter what. Kids are not shielded from the world like they use to be, they know what is right and what is wrong. The Juvenile court also fails to deter violence among the delinquents. The current juvenile crime problem, requires that we punish the current delinquents in order to deter the next generation from becoming offenders (Houghton Mifflin
...al initiatives and my goal is to establish an educational center that will focus on disadvantaged youth and their parents. I was the first in my family to attend college and I believe through helping others, they too can become “firsts.”