Life at the JAC - Initial Observations

I recently began a new job working at the Juvenile Assessment Center here in Tampa. I began as an intake worker where my primary job functions included operating the phones and electronicaly controlled doors, along with admitting new juveniles to the facility (having the sign the neccessary paperwork and collecting their property) and performing intervention assessments. Within two weeks I was promoted to the Diversion Unit, where I am classified as a Diversion Specialist. My purpose is to recomend first time juvenile offenders to the diversionary program which suits their needs the best. The idea is to give the kids a "second chance" before sending them to the judge and having a minor "mistake" from haunting them in later years. After all, kids are kids and they're going to get introuble- its part of their biology.

So far I like it here. My co-workers are friendly, although I don't believe this is the right profession for some of them. I think that is their first fault, they don't view this as anythign more than just a "job" and "paycheck" when infact it is more than that., The responsibility that comes with working with in the criminal justice field is enormous, multiply that by the responsibility of working with "at risk youth" and its almost unimaginable how anyone would work this job half heartedly. So far I have dealt with cookie-cutter type cases; "good" WASPY type kids who stole a cd for the thrill, or smoke a little pot here and there and finally got caught, the frivalous charges of "tresspassing" and "resisting arrest w/o violence" (giving an officer a fake name or refusing to give them one) charges that could probably be dealt with better with a hand-cuff ride in the back of the police car to their parents house, rather than making them sit for hours waiting to be processed at our facility. I've also dealt with the cases that unfortunately one would "expect" to deal with. The typical improvrished, poorly educated, inner-city minority type kids- kids who at no fault of their own are more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system. While doing my assessments I've already come to realise that my African-American clients are more like to have repeated a grade, have a parent that is or already has been incarcerated, and come from a home with a disproportionate number of dependants and care takers. I've also come to notice that my White clients are more likely to have experimented with drugs and alcohol, and are usually less repectful than minority children.

So far I've had two clients whom I truely felt sorry for. One was a young white child, about 13 years old. He lives with his mother, who is dating their neighbor and she spends all her time next door leaving him home alone. He told me that he tried to kill himself twice, once by taking pills the other by cutting his wrists. He also showed me where he still cuts himself on a regular basis. He told me that he hears voices and thinks that he will attempt suicide again. I of course mad ethe neccessary treatment refferal, but beyonde that I dont know much more of what will happen to him. From my short time working with him I realised that he was extremely intelligent, as most "criminals" are, just was just lacking affection attention and nurturing from his mother. I hope he gets the treatment he needs and his pyshical wounds along with his emotional wounds are able to heal so that he can focus his abilities in the right direction. The second case was more recent. A young African American boy attempted to runaway from his fathers home to escape abuse, and did not cooperate fully with law enforcement and was thuis arrested. Durring my assessment the boy told me that his father beats him with an extension chord and punches him in the chest regularly when he "gets mad". I made the neccessary referal again in the case but this one will definately be much more complicated. My father had a ehavy hand of his own, and I still remeber times when he would beat my brother and I with a belt for misbehaving, I remember threatening when i was younger, that I would call DCF or the cops or whomever it a 10 year old threatens to call; I guess i never considered the abuse bad enough to want to run away from home.

Anyway I should probably get to work...Not that I have much to d. Its been a slow night and thats a good thing. Kids are staying out of trouble.