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After School Program Is Leaving Lasting Impression On Teens, County's Bottom
Line 
Initiatives Keeping Kids Out Of Trouble

Tuesday, January 16, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 6A 





The success of the Youth Services of Pennsylvania After School Program in
Edwardsville in counseling teens with disciplinary problems is almost an
embarrassment. The program that takes on troubled kids from the end of the
school day until dinnertime is so obvious in its simplicity and so
straightforward in its commonsense approach, we should all be asking
ourselves, ``Why didn't we think of this earlier?'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Well, county probation officials have and it's making a real difference.
The after-school sessions are part of a larger, highly focused approach for
juveniles that use new ideas based on tried-and-true principles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A combination of tough love, no nonsense and community service, the after
school and accompanying programs have, in two years, shown marked results.
Where once 44 percent of the juveniles on probation found themselves in front
of the judge a second time, now only 14.6 percent of the youth are charged
with another offense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The intricacies and curriculum of the youth probation programs aside, there
is one overriding philosophical and practical approach that defines the
program. Kids know beyond a doubt that responsible adults are there -
watching, advising, scolding, encouraging. There are no walk-on parts for
probation officers, program counselors or parents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Where once the kids saw their probation officers once a week, now they can
look forward to seeing them up to three times, and it's less an ``out of
sight, out of mind'' situation since probation officers are located in the
schools. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Along with discipline, counseling and rehabilitation, the juveniles get
behavior-modification therapy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The county probation officers don't let the families off the hook either:
They are expected take part in family therapy to learn proper, unequivocal
disciplinary habits when dealing with the children. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The level of active, ongoing involvement by the probation officers should
make every citizen feel richer and safer. The lowered recidivism saves
hundreds of thousands in tax dollars and cuts crime. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the most important aspect of the program is that the juvenile offenders
know that someone is there who cares enough to hold them accountable and sees
them as important enough to teach and counsel. It's an in-your-face program
for the which Luzerne County officials can hold their heads high. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Youth Probation Benefits Offenders, Entire County