Some innovative
approaches to rehabilitation have put Clatsop County’s Youngs Bay Juvenile
Detention Center at the forefront of youth offender programs in
Oregon.
The facility’s Youth
Care Center provides a 120-day program combining cognitive behavior
modification, “mindfulness” and health and wellness in a holistic approach aimed
at steering young offenders away from a future in the criminal justice
system.
The YCC program is
believed to be the only one in the state that’s adopted meditation-based
mindfulness practice into its detention system, and other counties and the state
are taking notice.
The program takes in
youth between ages 15 and 19 who are on parole or probation from state or county
juvenile corrections programs, and who are at risk of entering the state
detention system. Seriously violent offenders, sex offenders and juveniles with
mental illness are not eligible.
On Wednesday the
board of commissioners is scheduled to approve a new one-year contract for up to
$102,930 with the Oregon Youth Authority to place youth in the YCC program. The
contract gives priority to local youth and those from neighboring counties,
although juveniles from other counties can be considered for the
program.
The county Juvenile
Department has also received a $5,000 grant from the Trust for the Meditation
Process foundation for staff training and program materials.
Cognitive
restructuring is a central part of most juvenile – and adult – rehab programs
aimed at breaking cycles of addictive and destructive behavior. But even young
offenders have often gone through these programs so many times they know the
process by heart, and most YCC participants come to the program because they
have failed other corrective programs, according to Janet Evans, Juvenile
Department director.
Mindfulness is
designed to complement the cognitive treatment programs with exercises designed
to build self-awareness and self-control.
“We give kids a
grounding in cognitive restructuring, but take it to a deeper level,” Evans
said. “You start with an awareness of who you are, in relationship to your
community.”
Juvenile counselor
Ryan Moore brought his background in contemplative psychotherapy when he helped
the Juvenile Department add the mindfulness element to its detention program
three years ago. The approach centers on meditation – both in groups and
individually – aimed at getting the youth to focus on the present and let go of
the stresses from past mistakes or future challenges.
The concentration
required to meditate can be a challenge for kids who often come to the program
with attention-deficit disorder or other behavioral issues. But the detention
setting provides a controlled atmosphere where not only drugs and alcohol but
also distractions like phones and Internet are gone. Staff members leading the
meditation practice start with 10-minute sessions that are gradually expanded,
and youth meditate on their own in their cells.
“You can see the
difference the grounding makes – you can see them calm themselves in stressful
situations,” Moore said. “It’s a tool they can take with them when they get
out.”
The self-control that
the mindfulness training brings also reduces problems in the facility; the youth
are more respectful to staff and each other, and behavioral issues requiring
staff intervention are rare, Moore said.
The department is now
adding a third element – wellness – to the YCC program. Youth learn the benefits
of not only kicking drugs and alcohol but also good nutrition and
exercise.
Evans called her
detention center staff “amazing,” noting that they are responsible for both the
YCC program participants as well as rest of the detention population. For many
of the youth, the staff become mentors and role models – most of the juveniles
stay in contact even after finishing the four-month program.
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