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Letter to the editor

Group seeks ways to help kids in trouble

The county is trying to get the word out to parents that it has a council to help kids before they enter the juvenile justice system.

By NICK COLLINS
Published November 7, 2004

When it comes to high-risk children, delinquent youths and the juvenile justice system, local officials know some Pinellas County parents have concerns.

Minorities are over-represented in the system, parents have said. Zero-tolerance policies in schools put many youths into the system. Behavior specialists should have more of a role dealing with youngsters in trouble.

So what should be done about them?

Finding the answers can start with community members who can help juvenile justice officials channel money into worthwhile youth programs.

That, at least, is the philosophy of the Pinellas County Juvenile Justice Council, which formed a community outreach committee this spring.

But it hasn't been easy. The main challenge reaching those affected by delinquency is letting people know the Juvenile Justice Council exists, said Cathy Corry, community partnership coordinator for Pinellas-Pasco Department of Juvenile Justice.

The Juvenile Justice Council tries to find needs in the community that are not being met. Once it identifies gaps in services, state officials will review grant applications from agencies in Pinellas County and distribute more than $370,000 in funding to those that can fill in the holes. Through the outreach committee, the council wants to hear about gaps to bring to the attention of state officials, said Jackie Griffin-Doherty, incoming chairwoman of the Juvenile Justice Council.

"We want to get the communities involved and proactively participating," Griffin-Doherty said.

During the past six months, the outreach committee has held meetings throughout the county and also has solicited input from family and friends visiting juveniles at the county detention center.

The council advertised in local newspapers, distributed fliers and even went door-to-door to publicize meetings put on in northern, middle and southern Pinellas County. But only about 10 people not affiliated with the council showed up to provide input at three meetings held in south St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tarpon Springs, said Corry, who serves on the outreach committee.

"It was a substantial amount of effort to get not much of a response," said Corry, adding that not a single person came to the meeting held in Clearwater.

Still, based even on limited community input, the council heard plenty of concerns, Corry said. The most common complaint was the high percentage of minorities in the juvenile justice system.

Thirty-nine percent of those admitted to the juvenile assessment center in 2003 were black, according to a county report. By comparison, black residents make up 9 percent of Pinellas County's population, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

The time spent handing out surveys in the parking lot of the juvenile detention center has proved to be more fruitful, Corry said. The community forums most likely will not be continued, but more visits to the detention center are planned for the outreach committee.

This year, four organizations were funded as a result of the council's recommendations, Corry said.

The YMCA of greater St. Petersburg received $100,000 for its Youth Enhancement Skills program. The prevention-based program helps at-risk middle school students develop social skills and communication skills in a special elective course taught during school hours, said Kathleen Peters, director of foundation and corporate relations for the YMCA of greater St. Petersburg.

"They're skills a lot of these kids aren't necessarily getting at home," Peters said.

Along with increased academic achievement for participants, one of Youth Enhancement Skills' biggest successes has been lowering the number of referrals to the juvenile justice system by having a behavioral specialist intervene when students get in trouble, Corry said.

At Kennedy Middle School in Clearwater, the local YMCA also has received funding based on the recommendations fo the Juvenile Justice Council and set up a duplicate of the Youth Enhancement Skills program, Peters said.

The first thing state officials look for when handing out grants is an agency that can prevent youth from entering the justice system, Peters said.

That's a goal endorsed by at least one parent.

Terry Richards of St. Petersburg has firsthand experience with the juvenile courts. When her 14-year-old son stole a bike, she said she entered a fast and confusing world.

The public defender explained that because her son had undeniably taken the bike, the best thing to do was to plead guilty and get it over with, said Richards, 56, a health care assistant. But she and her son didn't know what was coming next.

Her son was sentenced to probation, including an 8 p.m. curfew seven days a week, she said. The sentence was so punitive that it did more harm than good, hurting her son's self-confidence, she said.

"It was a very rude awakening," Richards said.

Since then, Richards has worked with the Juvenile Justice Council and other organizations to reform the justice system for minors.

"Kids do need discipline, they do need punishment," she said, but ". . . you can't take hope away from a child."

Nick Collins can be reached at ncollins@sptimes.com or 727 771-4307.

[Last modified November 6, 2004, 23:27:31]