Juvenile facilities strive to foster ‘family engagement’
This story was reported by Gary Gately for the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange.
All the world’s a stage — even behind bars, in Massachusetts. Inside juvenile correctional facilities in The Bay State, young offenders study the finer points of Shakespeare, rehearse for weeks, then perform the Bard’s works before parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles.
In Texas, incarcerated youths lead their relatives to schools inside juvenile facilities, where they showcase their work in classrooms and introduce their teachers. A state juvenile justice staffer likened the visits to the sort of open house you might expect at a public school.
In Indiana, juvenile authorities have greatly expanded visiting hours at their facilities. Even late-night visits can be arranged by appointment, if needed, to accommodate a family member’s schedule. For those who can’t make it in person, Indiana facilities — like some in other states — offer virtual visits through videoconferencing technology such as Skype.
The three states illustrate efforts to foster “family engagement,” which has become a buzzword in juvenile justice circles. It’s about building bridges between family members — or other key figures in youths’ lives — and the staff at juvenile facilities that house youngsters.
Experts, supported by a small but growing body of research, say fostering family engagement improves incarcerated youths’ behavior, makes families feel more connected, reduces disciplinary incidents and boosts the morale of staff.
Moreover, strengthening these connections better prepares youths for a return to the community upon release — most return to their family homes — and reduces repeat offenses.
But for all the progress in building better relations with families, critics complain that too much of the juvenile justice system in America is still beset by harsh conditions, violence and widespread use of solitary confinement, which is increasingly controversial.
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Copyright 2014 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
