Mentoring program could be helping hand for juvenile offenders

That’s one way of looking at a new mentoring program just in the beginning stages at the Juvenile Probation Department assigned to the 33rd and 424th state judicial districts.

The fledgling program is recruiting volunteers to serve as mentors for young people convicted of offenses such as shoplifting, criminal mischief and truancy. Runaways will also need mentors.

The goal of the program is to provide a non-judgmental and positive influence in the lives of children who have encountered trouble.

The effort deserves a chance. 

Success is possible only if the community steps in to help.

At the moment, the probation department is looking to the ranks of civic clubs and service organizations for volunteers, primarily because these are people with a proven track record of service and mentorship. 

Probation officers are also canvassing local church groups in their search for volunteers, and so far have made one successful match.

According to 33rd state District Judge Gil Jones, most juvenile probation defendants have one trait in common: They lack positive role models in their lives.

Many of the children are not intrinsically bad. They have just strayed. Most come from single-family homes.

For most, it wouldn’t take much to get them back on the straight and narrow, just a little time and a little attention.

All one has to do is show these children that they matter, that they count for something. Teach them to fly a kite. Help them learn to dance. Take them fishing or hunting. Knit something together.

Otherwise, they have a hard road to travel. 

Veteran lawmen know that once a juvenile becomes entrenched in the legal system, many of them sadly move from misdemeanors to felonies and a life spent behind bars or ducking the police.

But the mentoring program could help stop a life of criminal recidivism before it starts.

Finding a kid who needs help isn’t the problem. There are plenty of kids in the juvenile court system. Finding volunteers, though, is a little more difficult.

Yet a good volunteer could be the key that unlocks the door to a juvenile offender’s full potential.

Naturally, juvenile probation officers are being careful about who they select. This is no willy-nilly process.

Potential volunteers are carefully screened through interviews and extensive background checks.

Each volunteer is matched to a child based on gender and interests.

Once the candidates are accepted, volunteers will be asked to donate one hour of their time each week for a six- to 12-month commitment.

Probation officials said the goal isn’t to heal all the woes in these children’s lives. But mentors can serve as a positive voice.

What they really need is just someone to walk side-by-side with them, a true life coach who cares.

For information on volunteering, call (512) 756-5476.

Sometimes, one person can change a life for the better. You could be that person.