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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 1984)
The Battalion to! 78 No. 126 (JSPS 0453110 College Station, Texas Thursday, April 5, 1984 uvenile probation offers programs, counseling 3 i any coin* ances to »in but I i pressure alws oin )n the nt in Cai rhampioni missing froit :hest eventd iiei :arnes a I vontes is never won ll eads the 15J $73,635 w two thirds i By REBECCA DIMEO Reporter Juvenile probation offers lore than an occasional talk iiilia probation officer. It in- Itides a host of programs for ieyoung people on probation. Janet McNutt, a Brazos iountyjuvenile probation offi- for four years, heads the Wing unit for those on on imitation. Counseling is one of lemain functions of a juvenile robation officer. “It’s a lot different working kids,” she says. “You’re forking with family and you’re forking with schools. The is- sare different.” McNutt and 10 other juvenile jitbation officers currently the aprroxirnately 125 iveniles, ages 10 to 17, on pro- itionin Brazos County. “As probation officers, the iskif Mill to contend ..opez si y list this .veeks ago . She won 81. left avers and nil sociation two things we are mandated by law to do are to protect the com munity and protect the child,” McNutt says. In fulfilling its responsibili ties, the probation department provides group counseling, community work projects, resti tution, a volunteer program and a status offender program. In group counseling, topics such as job interviewing, peer pressure, drug and alcohol abuse, and family and school difficulties are covered weekly for the older juveniles on pro bation. Community work efforts to help beautify local parks use the probationers to pick up litter, cut weeds and plant flowers. Restitution is paid by the juve nile and his family as a way for the probationer to realize the fi nancial responsibility involved in theft or damage of property. Individuals and organiza tions volunteer time and serv ices as tutors or adult role mod els based on the Big Brother and Big Sister programs. The status offender program is an attempt to keep juveniles referred to the department for status offenses — skipping school or running away from home — out of the court proc ess. Other programs aimed to keep juveniles referred for mi nor offenses out of the courts and off probation are the shop lifting diversion program and informal adjustment. The shoplifting diversion program is a one-time seminar for juveniles caught stealing items worth less than $5. Infor mal adjustment offers a chance for the child and parents to agree that they will try the con ditions of probation for six months. Lengths of probation vary depending on the offense, but all probation periods ordered by the court last for a year and may be renewed year-by-year until the juvenile’s 18th birth day. From her experienced as a probation officer, McNutt cites education and community in volvement as the keys to reha bilitation of juvenile offenders, who are recommemded for probation mostly from the schools. Peer pressure and boredom are the reasons juveniles get into trouble, she says. “Probation is not here to punish and scare and make kids fear the system,” she says. “Scaring children is not an ef fective way to create change.” McNutt says she tries to indi vidualize the program for each probationer as much as possi ble, but she doesn’t want to make it sound too informal. “This isn’t a service kids seek out,” she says. “They’re on pro bation because they’ve been in trouble.” McNutt says community serv ices and resources are lacking because of the structure of the community — two cities side by side. This structure leads to a duplication of services while others, like a mass transit sys tem, are non-existent. She says the lack of mass transit keeps thejuvenile proba tion officers from finding jobs for probationers who need them for the money, either for family reasons or to make the restitution that may be part of probation. PIZZA CHANELLO’S PIZZA (V I $2 Any I jl6 or20” Two Item or more ■ Pl2 « I ONE COUPON PER PIZZA exp. 5/1/84 PARKWAY SQUARE 696-0234 MORTHGATE 846-3768 ■.[Aggies tutoring youth in trouble ON TOP OF THE WORLD By RENEE HARRELL Reporter The Brazos County Juvenile That's a Mfrobation Department is re- to passupl railing Texas A&M students to e bestheoi lelp tutor young people who avebeen placed on probation. The probation department ogether *i as solicited tutors from 35 Ids a bonddj ampusorganizations. Response to the request has assiblygetifieen encouraging. Phi Eta innot doitlij igraa, the freshman honor so- ou havetoj iety, has had about six mem- 1, sit downi ers volunteer. These kids need someone to [irlfriendsjt ook up to,” Charlotte Taylor, Texas A&M student devel- a five-ya pent specialist said. “The /e more pi allege students will act as a role nsas City eai aodel for the j u v e n i les. ’ uld givelk Thejuvenile department has s living ya een matching probated juve- lity by 198! solid start : 1983 rool Todd ack Albert irnold, cenl id tight fl ■ purchas isas City an e number mes in Kan [sier for who art feeling $ ers with started, I like me, niles with volunteer tutors from the community and Texas A&M for two years. Janet McNutt, administrator of programs and training at the juvenile department, also said a role model for the youth is a good idea. “The role model idea is really a seperate aspect of our pro gram from the tutoring, but it does play a part when college students are involved,” McNutt said. “However, the college stu dents must be dedicated enough to stick with it. Just be cause a big exam is coming up doesn’t mean the student is ex cused from his tutoring duties,” McNutt said. Melinda Thompson, juvenile probation officer is in charge of the tutoring program. “I will go over the all of the legalilities with the college stu dents,” Thompson said. “We hope they establish a relationship with the juveniles that will benefit both of them. The juveniles will be able to see someone who might have over come some problems too and has gone on to further his edu cation.” The tutors will be trained on a monthly program before they start tutoring. They have a choice to tutor math, English, history or science and must tu tor for a minimum of one hour per week for eight weeks. The tutors and juveniles will be paired according to who has transportation and where it is convenient to meet. • 12 COUNTRIES IN/IAYIB - JUNE 15 * S1700 CHINA • B MAJOR CITIES • MAY 17 - MAY 30 • S 2100 FOR MORE INFO CONTACT MSC TRAVEL AT B45-1515 -e and pla| A number! bought hoii ■ested in livi part. i Iso bought >n going April 19th C. during / he’s goin; a chance, ght a ho; commitmei cbme ba before of town til ;cl in comii lay —spen ;eks that th t spend n the rig on. D Kissinger erspectives on U.S Foreign Policy" tickets available at MSC Box Office 845-1234 Memorial Student Center