OHIO
Juvenile Reentry Initiative Program turns lives around
Austin Martin laid in his bed at the juvenile facility, his foot in a cast from crashing his car fighting boredom and searching his soul. He thought about the life he thought he was going to lead --as a drug dealer -- and then he came to a realization. "I started wondering what everyone else in the world was doing, why did I keep making the counselors hate me and decided if I kept acting like an idiot, I'd never get out of there," Martin said.
Martin, 19, of Zanesville, believes he would be in prison today if it hadn't been for the Muskingum County Juvenile Reentry Initiative Program and Steve Desrosiers, probation officer.
The Muskingum County Juvenile Reentry Initiative Program, which began in July 2007, is comprised of members from the Muskingum County Children's Services, Lelia L. Payton Counseling Center, Juvenile Court, Perry Multi County Juvenile Facility, the Department of Youth Services and Thompkins Center. "What our common goal is is to transition the youth back into the community successfully by emphasizing on education, employment, therapeutic intervention and a natural support system," said Angela Carder, program coordinator for the juvenile court system. "We know we've been successful and hope to remain so."
The average length of the program is 18 months, and a teen usually will spend another 10 months on probation or parole. Of the 47 teens that have been through the program, 31 completed the program, 24 of those were successful, five had court termination and two were unsuccessful.
Funds for the program varies from year to year depending on the availability of funds from grants. For the year 2011, the court has allocated a little more than $100,000 to fund the program. The average annual cost for a teen at the Ohio Department of Youth Services is $45,000 and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation is $25,000.
For teens such as Martin, the program can change their lives around. "I thought I was the toughest kid on earth and going to be a big drug dealer. I found out how wrong I was," Martin said.
In June 2008, Martin had gotten off work and was headed to a friend's house. At the time, he was selling marijuana and had received a phone call for an order. "I was headed for South Zanesville to drop it off when a cop got behind me," Martin remembers. "I started to run, and he chased me." After crashing into a tree, Martin knew he was in trouble.
"They found about a fourth of a pound of weed on me and one Vicodin pill," Martin said. "I was in the hospital for a while because I had to have surgery on my foot from the accident, but I knew I was headed to jail."
Martin was detained at the Muskingum County Juvenile Facility for almost a month and then, after being sentenced on the drug charges, he was sent to the Perry Multi County Juvenile Facility in New Lexington for almost eight months. At first, Martin continued to act out, back talking the counselors and not cooperating. The cast on his foot prevented him from participating in some of the activities offered at the facility so Martin had time to think. He started listening and found himself actually using the ideas and methods the counselors were teaching. "I found there are so many more options in life than doing illegal things," Martin said. "And when I realized that, I changed my path and direction in life."
Martin had goals set for him, classes to attend and strict guidelines to follow. "My counselors didn't look at the crime I committed," Martin said. "They looked at why I did it and how to use resources to not continue with it."
What makes the program so successful is the collaboration between all the services in the county, the volunteers who give hundreds of hours to the teens and the teens, themselves, Desrosiers said. "You take a kid like Austin, and you expect more from him," Desrosiers said. "Here he is, coming through a bad patch, getting through school, holding down a job and still doing all we've asked him to do."
Desrosiers said those involved in the reentry program are involved because they want to be and because they believe in the program. "They're here for the right reasons," Desrosiers said. "They aren't in it for the money, they're in it to make sure these kids get on the right path and become successful in life."
Desrosiers said a juvenile who is sentenced to a facility has two options facing them – stay in the facility or deal with the problems. "This program is designed for the worst of the worst," Desrosiers said. "We take the most serious offenders who have the most barriers to overcome. And from there, we circle the wagons around the kid and see what types of programming will work." Desrosiers said Martin showed he had the people skills and drive to change his life and allowed the program to work.
Martin says Desrosiers helped save his life and thinks the world of Desrosiers. Desrosiers beams when he's with Martin and loves to kid him about his muscles. "He was receptive to what we had to offer, which makes a big difference. Some kids just don't care. But, Austin, he has goals and things he wants to accomplish in his life. That's makes a big difference in his level of success," Desrosiers said.
Martin's drive, determination and desire to succeed has paid off. Graduating in May from Foxfire High School, Martin is currently a shift manager at a local restaurant, is planning on going to college and has reconnected with his family. Martin is hoping he will run his own business some day, but he is leaving his options open for possibilities during college.
"I do know we're not going to give up on these kids," Desrosiers said. "Austin is proof that this program works."
Kathy Thompson
2 October 2010
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20101002/NEWS01/10020302
