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The Georgia General Assembly, recognizing evidence that has been mounting on a national level for the past 20 years of what works in responding to delinquency, adopted a resolution creating the Juvenile Code Rewrite Joint Study Committee. The goal is to write a new code that fairly balances the needs of children with the needs of the community. Juvenile Court Judge Jean Bolin of Bryan County believes community involvement and custom-tailored rehabilitative efforts work in reducing detention population and the number of youth who recidivate after court intervention. Bolin tells how her life experiences and lessons she learned in the courtroom have taught her that young offenders, family and community working together, and a little creativity from the bench, can transform juvenile justice. From
Young Offender to Good Neighbor BY JUDGE JEAN BOLIN It was mid May when the sullen, unkempt 14-year-old stood before me in the courtroom. Charged with riding his four-wheeler through a neighborhood cemetery, the youngster, clad in over-sized jeans and a dingy tee-shirt, admitted that he had ripped through portions of the fence and dislodged a couple of headstones. Why? "I didn't have nothing else to do," he said. Behind him, off to the side, a hand went up and I watched as an old man slowly made his way to the bench. "Judge, my wife is buried in that cemetery, as is my neighbor, and some of my cousins," said the old man. "Many of my friends are there, too. In fact, that is a kind of sacred place to me. I keep it mowed, I sweep off the graves when the leaves gather, and I stay busy mending the fence. I wonder if this young man here might be ordered to help me out." After he left the courtroom, that boy began a summer of community service in Bryan County, Ga. What started out as punishment transformed into an opportunity for a latchkey kid to become a good neighbor. At the end of summer the boy and the man walked into court together. "I hate to see this young man's community service come to an end," the old man said with a chuckle. "He's done a good job. Judge, that cemetery has never looked so good!" The young man beamed. When I asked how he felt, he said he'd never been told he had done a good job before. Collaboration and Juvenile Justice
Community involvement and custom-tailored rehabilitative efforts work. As a juvenile court judge I'm always looking to the community when doling out punishment and assigning community service. I've found that when the youthful offender, Juvenile Justice, Family Connection, private citizens, local organizations, and I put our heads together, we end up with more satisfactory results. Sometimes we even end up with amazing results. Kids almost never act in a vacuum. My mother used to tell me that "an idle mind is the devil's workshop." Two of my mother's other favorite sayings were, "we are known by the company we keep," and, "lay down with dogs and get up with fleas." Idle minds, idle hands, bad company, opportunity, and availability are dangerous tools for teens. Give them an inch and I promise they'll take two miles—and other kids with them. This is why we work so hard with parents. Fundamentals of Developing Families is an incredible 12-week program here that explores the respective roles of family members and assigns ownership of one's acts. Parents and children are required to attend sessions together throughout the program, sponsored through grants and community funding in Bryan County. Each session provides family members with tools in setting boundaries and dealing with acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. One of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with juveniles is the lack of opportunities, and even worse, the lack of funds to create new opportunities (Fundamentals of Developing Families is self-pay in McIntosh County), and many parents are hard-pressed to keep their children out of trouble. We overlook no one when we seek answers in juvenile justice. For instance, the administrative assistant to the District Attorney's office is a single mother who raised five children. Now grown, her children are good citizens who are well-respected in their professions and in their communities. She did something right and her insights are invaluable to me. Yet so many delinquents and their families come into court with an attitude of entitlement. They think Juvenile Court is solely and financially responsible for supervising, punishing, rehabilitating, and even entertaining the children. Attitudes like this have prompted us to be creative and think outside the box. Instead of traditional punishment for lesser offenses, juveniles can choose to earn $20 per month (they must show proof of washing cars, cleaning yards, performing household chores, etc.) and take a karate class three times a week offered by off-duty police officers. It's typical in speeding cases for me to place teens under house arrest, forbid them from riding with friends, and take away their cell phones and My Space for 30 - 90 days. The kids accuse me of ruining their lives. I do this because some of the kids who have passed through my courtroom have been killed in traffic accidents. Saddened, I'm ever mindful of my responsibility to keep these young wonders alive long enough to realize their potential.
Lawnmowers
and Bicycles "The lawnmower is to be used first," they told us. "If the yard needs mowing, or if the neighbor's yard needs mowing, then so be it. When the work is done you can ride the bicycle."
After that Christmas I was introduced to working in tobacco fields. Next to working in a chicken house I can't think of a nastier job for a kid. However, I fondly recall the sounds, smells, and the feeling of those summers. I was learning life lessons without knowing it. I learned to work hard and to savor the times when I wasn't working. In my leisure time a bicycle meant freedom and reading meant dreaming—two things that even today, I abundantly enjoy. Children need to be loved. They also require discipline and direction. Kids need to have responsibilities and to know how to earn money. They have a duty to themselves and to others. Children don't need time on their hands. They do, however, need boundaries. They are known by the company they keep. If children hang around for very long, trouble will find them. A child's mind is fertile ground and it will absorb whatever is found in its environment. Read about the Georgia Juvenile Code rewrite in the next issue of Connected. Read the National 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book essay, A Road Map for Juvenile Justice Reform. |
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