Mentoring: A Deterrent In Juvenile Justice

Every weekend Derrick looked forward to Jack, his mentor, picking him up for football games, a round of miniature golf or a nice game of pool.

Whether it was eating at a restaurant or munching on hot dogs at a baseball game, the role model Derrick needed was found in Jack, a court-appointed mentor determined to help a teenage boy turn his life around.

Derrick had been arrested on various charges including petty theft, drug possession, and probation violations. The juvenile court system allow for a few opportunities before stiffer sentences are imposed. Hanging out and counseling with Jack was the final option.

Like Derrick, hundreds of youth have been redirected through positive mentoring that led them from a life of crime to being productive citizens. Drugs and violence kills young people nationwide in record numbers. Solutions are found in the words of trained mentors who deter the allure of gang activity.

Our law firm can assist parents with legal counseling for juvenile court cases as well as finding programs that can lead their children from juvenile court charges to more productive environments that involved positive mentors, role models and activities.

Several mentoring programs provide sports and counseling, activities that replace the negative interaction with hardened criminals seeking new recruits. These types of programs are imperative for middle and high schoolers facing crime-ridden neighborhoods that offers little hope for a brighter future. To learn more about mentoring read the U.S. News and World Report article HYPERLINK “http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/at-the-edge/2012/10/04/in-chicago-proof-positive-that-mentoring-decreases-youth-violence”In Chicago, Positive Proof That Mentoring Decreases Youth Violence.

At-risk youth are a dominant presence in low-income neighborhoods where basic needs are secured through criminal activities. Mentors who consistently and faithful interact with these juveniles see the productive, positive behavior that results from having a father or mother figure around them.

About a quarter of a billion dollars in federal funding has been spent on mentoring to deter crime. Mentoring programs in states and cities have resulted in thousands of youth funneled into college instead of the penitentiary where taxpayers pay the bill. Mentors can commit about three years to the life of a youth in order to impact the child's life with academic tutoring, building self-esteem and learning to respect authority and serve others.

To learn more about effective mentoring read The New York Times article For Children At Risk, Mentors Who Stay.

Solutions for juvenile delinquency lies within effective mentoring programs that produce long-term, permanent results. Communities are strengthened through positive mentoring programs that change lives for a lifetime.