Jack McNulty

Officer CS is very knowledgeable about the processing of juveniles, but he is trapped in the role citizens have given him. He is not alone in his frustration.

When I worked as Director of Volunteer Services for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, 1971-1973, where we locked up kids from 8 years up, we called this the "Tragicomedy of Juvenile Justice". All the "actors "played their parts, but were limited to the script written by the public at large, in their ignorance and indifference. For what we spent on locking up kids for a year, we could have sent each of them to an Ivy League school on full scholarship! But these were "worthless rejects", without a supporting family or community advocacy.

Officer CS cites Volunteerism as an alternative for concerned citizens & victims. It is an educational process, second to none, in what is wrong and what is needed and I recommend it most highly to successful Dallasites who care about safety for their children and property.

In Minnesota, there is a volunteering tradition of citizens contributing to their community, through their churches, schools, businesses, social clubs, etc. It was my statewide responsibility to train and assign these volunteers throughout our system, juvenile through adult, parole and probation units. We were inundated with wonderful citizens, after scandals like Attica and various juvenile prison incidents around the country.

I had the invaluable assistance of an ex-offender staff of all ages, paid by the State, who made our training an honest and accurate reflection of the "inside", as well as the "outside", as it affected the offender populations. They were also able to teach the frustrations of staff trying to provide what the community expected- punishment; rehabilitation & warehousing!

Our volunteers learned and finally understood!

Therein lies the tale. How do you punish a kid who has been beaten, abused, abandoned by indifferent, drug & alcohol dependent parents? You can't even get his attention in the worst of our juvenile system!

How can anyone be rehabilitated, when they have never been "habilitated", have no concept of a positive future, a valued role in the community?

Warehousing is never a real option, since the courts and social workers turn them loose, as Offcer CS points out! When they are in the system, they learn so much on criminal practices, they are a worse threat than when they went away!

1. In Minnesota, parents of juveniles appearing in a youth court ,are required to complete parenting classes taught by the court or probation department, while their kid is kept in either detention (for multiple offenses) or tight probation supervision.

2. A restitution program was created where victims of property crime were repaid, as part of the sentencing option. The offender and the victim met, face to face, to work out the "contract", moderated by the judge or a probation officer

3. Community volunteers were trained to work with courts, probation or parole officers, to reduce the supervision overloads.

4. Business volunteers provided courses in career options, as part of the local schools, with troubled kids nominated for such classes by teachers.

5. Successful women taught young girls in the system proper adult sexuality, the value of retaining control of their lives and avoiding the usual trap of young pregnancy, dependence on exploiting males, and increasing welfare payments for more children produced!

6. Recognition and support of the disciplinary role played by assistant principals and guidance counselors in middle and high schools, with a trained community citizen volunteer corps assisting the professionals to redirect troubled youngsters.

It will require a new community view of these troubled kids and we will have to hold their parents accountable for their behavior.

Gangsta rap, gang culture, celebrity status for outlaw behavior are the enemies we must cope with as we attempt to engage these youngsters in their own future, which will not include NBA or NFL stardom, but will reward behavior that is constructive, non- threatening and targeted on positive growth goals.