The Battalion
to! 78 No. 126 (JSPS 0453110
College Station, Texas
Thursday, April 5, 1984
uvenile probation offers programs, counseling
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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
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. She won
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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.
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