Jackson Free Press

After raising the hackles of several City Council members, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton walked out of a meeting Nov. 22 after presenting a proposal for a controversial "boot camp" for troubled teens. The course, financed through the Jackson Police Department, will offer training in "personal growth areas such as self-esteem, self-motivation, self-discipline, life skills, self-awareness, academic responsibility, career opportunities and life choice awareness," according to a booklet the city gave to Council.

Police say the proposed program is designed to address several objectives established in former Chief Robert Moore's "Five Point Plan." Moore's plan emphasized crime reduction through pre-emptive education of potential repeat offenders.

"We're looking at helping (students) by providing structure, discipline and independence—all the resources to get them back into the work environment," said Commander Tyrone Lewis, who oversaw the development of the program, at the council meeting. "We're interested in developing taxpayers, not a tax burden. We're looking at about 20 kids in a two-week period, recommended by the juvenile justice system. We'll house them and feed them at the training academy. We'll run it just like we do our regular training recruits."

Some council members initially had misgivings about the financing of the program because the proposal did not indicate the source of the $6,163.20 for each two-week course. Eventually, the course would run more than $200,000 a year, according to Lewis. Police Chief Shirlene Anderson told the council that the money would come out of the police department's training academy budget.

Ward 2 Councilman Leslie McLemore, who has seen countless lawsuits brought against the city through council shortsightedness, said the numbers should be on the paperwork to avoid legal mishaps.

"It should be captioned on this order where the money is coming from. You say you have it. You've told us verbally, but legally it should be on the paper. We know that, Mr. (Chief Administration Officer Robert) Walker knows that, (Chief Finance Officer Peyton) Prosper knows that, you don't know, but we know," McLemore said.

Melton remained furious, despite the council's eventual five votes approving the boot camps with two abstaining. The mayor said the questioning about the finances were a personal attack.

"I'm bringing a lot of stuff to this council that I'm not legally obligated to bring because I'm trying to form a partnership. This conversation is bogus. Tyrone, this is not about your program, this is about me, and I'm not going to let kids get caught in the middle of grown folk's stuff," Melton said, then stormed out a side door and remained absent throughout the regular agenda.

As the door closed behind Melton at the meeting, Councilman Allen argued that the argument was not about personal attacks.

"What would happen if the program didn't cost $6,163.20? What if it turned out to be $7,500? Well, we've just approved that by not specifying the amount of money. I voted for it. I saw a meltdown coming here. We saw a great briefing on it yesterday. That's the only reason I voted for it, but these are appropriate questions. We're not trying to pick on anybody. It's just at the end of the day, if something goes wrong, we're the governing body that gets stuck with the lawsuit. The mayor doesn't. We do. So for people to think this is a personal deal, it isn't," Allen argued.

The proposal, called Cops Helping In Providing Structure (CHIPS), will accept about 20 students referred by Hinds County Youth Court for a two-week training period. The students will be housed in dormitories at the Police Academy on St. Charles and Jayne Avenue, in Jackson.

The court would order non-violent and some first-time offenders, such as kids charged with possession of illegal drugs, to attend the program much as it would order adult drivers with traffic violations to attend driving classes. Classes are estimated to last from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., though Commander Tyrone Lewis, who oversaw the development of the program, says the students will likely be out of bed by 5 a.m.

Sheila Bedi, director of the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, said the boot camp, by nature, could not be very effective.

"(Boot camps) provide the opportunity for youth who are predisposed to make bad decisions to influence each other. There's no work on helping that youth make internal changes. After that two-week time period the youth will be back into the exact same environment and will not have been given the tools needed to make better life decisions," she said in an interview.

The day that Melton walked out of the Council meeting, Bedi sent a press statement out on behalf of the Mississippi Coalition for the Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse, entitled, "Broad-based Juvenile Justice Coalition decries Mayor Frank Melton's Plan for a Juvenile Boot Camp."

In the release, Coalition founder Ellen Reddy said: "We've already lost generations of children to Mississippi's experiment with juvenile boot camps. The City of Jackson cannot afford to lose more young people to a life of crime. All the studies prove that children put through boot camps are more likely to re-offend than children placed in rigorous therapeutic programs. There is no question that boot camps don't work."

Bedi said Melton had spoken with her after the statement went out and said he was open to removing all militaristic aspects of the program, however.

"Both the mayor and Tyrone Lewis have agreed to remove all boot-camp elements from the program, and there will be no military drills. They have asked to partner with us to develop a program that helps evidence-based practices, based on the studies that actually show what works," Bedi said.

NAACP State President Derrick Johnson said the program would need some changes in its current form, saying the program too closely resembled juvenile training facilities in the state that have fallen under hard criticism by lawyers and the federal government and proved to be ineffective at preventing crime.

"My understanding is that the program (as presented) will be very similar to Oakley and Columbia training schools, which do not facilitate that type of transition," Johnson said. "The kids need to be exposed to cultural awareness programs, they need to be exposed to educational programs, they need counseling, but at Columbia and Oakley training schools none of that exists, which precipitated in the problems that resulted in recent lawsuits involving those schools."

In 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state over conditions at the two state-run military training schools giving particular scrutiny to the boot camp-style military program. The state finally settled the lawsuit in 2005 and agreed to restrict the use of the program.

Previous Commentsshow

Hmmm. The course, financed through the Jackson Police Department, will offer training in “personal growth areas such as self-esteem, self-motivation, self-discipline, life skills, self-awareness, academic responsibility, career opportunities and life choice awareness,” according to a booklet the city gave to Council. How could any two-week course improve a kid's self-esteem, giving self-motivation, self-discipline, life skills, self-awareness, academic responsibilities, career opportunities, and life choice awareness? I mean, that's an awful lot like those books that promise to teach you Spanish in 24 hours, isn't it? A much better approach, I think, would be a police-staffed mentoring program involving social workers, guidance counselors, and volunteers. I think juvenile offenders probably do need hope and life skills more than they need punishment, and I think the boot camp idea certainly makes a hell of a lot more sense than just throwing the kids in prison (which is the way things are basically run now), but we would need a more radical, long-term solution to get the job done. And that means a large-scale, expensive, coordinated effort. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Nov 30 2005

Now, I work in a two week program like the one the MYJP is saying is more effective. A two week intensive therapy program designed for children with extreme behavior problems/psychiatric diagnosis. Most of these children have involvement with the Juvenile Justice System as well. Boot camps don't work. Our program does. Evidenced based studies support this. Simple as that. I appreciate the idea. Or rather, the basic idea that there has to be something better than putting the kids in jail. And, Tom, I agree with you on the fact that two weeks isn't a lot of time for change. But, I've seen it happen. Sometimes just getting a kid out of their environment, handing them a little insight and judgement, a lot of support and a loving environment can work miracles. Most of these kids have NEVER had that. I've seen kids make huge changes in two weeks.

Lori G

Nov 30 2005

I'll concede that point; you've seen a lot more of this than I have. And certainly two weeks is better than nothing. But I wish there was the commitment from our culture to spend that trillion dollars on this rather than, say, tax cuts for the rich. I'm beginning to think Al Gore deserved to lose the 2000 election, because I think of all the things he could have done with that hypothetical money that would have been worth the deficit spending: universal health care, universal college tuition, and maybe still enough non-money left over to run a real long-term program for at-risk kids. Which would do more than any mandatory sentencing laws, more than any anti-"thug" legislation, to reduce the crime rate in this country. Not to mention, you know, preventing lives from being destroyed. So the choice was save or spend, old-school fiscal conservatism vs. Reaganite fiscal "conservatism," when some good old-fashioned liberalism was called for. 20/20 hindsight is really easy, though. Main thing, to return to the point at hand, is that I'm all for the MYJP proposal because it's so much better than what we have now, but wish I thought we could do something more extensive and long-term along the same lines. Two weeks just seems so short. Even drug rehab programs need 28 days. Cheers, TH

Tom Head

Nov 30 2005

”After that two-week time period the youth will be back into the exact same environment and will not have been given the tools needed to make better life decisions” I share the above opinion, but if the time period of the program was greatly extended I’d be in support of it.

K RHODES

Dec 1 2005

Personally, I'd add insturction in critical thinking - complete with extensive case studies (both examples from history and examples from common everyday experience). What the kids need is a social support structure that is conducive to improvement...especially with youth their own age. Also, don't forget that many people (kids included) have been so exposed to a negative environment for so long that THEY define that environment as normal -- the default setting, the litmus test, whatever you care to call it, for an average life. It's essentially the same thing as people spending all their lives in the same area, then going to the cosmopolitan big city and getting "culture shock". I think in most cases, it'd take longer than two weeks. I'd say about 2 years before they really have a change in personality (or maybe it's actually 2 years in an environment that validates the better sides of their authentic personality). OK, that's saying a lot in a small space. But this is something I've noticed (having lived in communities of every size class from small Delta downs to Dallas).

Philip

Dec 1 2005

I'm always a big fan of critical thinking skills, but (as for the time period) I think you are forgetting these are kids. Kids are ultimately more resilient and adaptable than adults give them credit for. This proves even MORE true for children who are raised in chaotic environments. They've learned to "adapt" since birth. There are so many strengths that are inherent in children that people neglect to mention or build upon when working with them. Two weeks to a thirteen year old may translate into six months of "adult" learning. I think a lot of people judge children, especially troubled kids, by their OWN litmus test...Not a truly educated, open-minded assessment of how children learn and how quickly they can make changes compared to adults. Also, don't forget that many people (kids included) have been so exposed to a negative environment for so long that THEY define that environment as normal -- My coworkers and I laugh about this all the time. We work in mental health...our idea of "normal" is way left of everyone else's. Sometimes I have to remind myself what "sanity" looks like....;) I agree with the statement that you cannot expect a kid to make changes and then throw them back into the same environment. In fact, the KIDS themselves know this. I can't tell you how many times we here, "But, Miss Ali, How come *I* am having to do all the changing and when I go home Mom/Dad/Grandmother are going to be EXACTLY the same?" To that we teach them how to deal with whatever brand of crazy their family is selling. You can teach kids coping skills and then send them back into that environment with at least a little improvement in their ability to handle it. This is horrible, but sometimes the best thing you can say to a kid is "YES, YOUR MOTHER IS CRAZY...but you are going to have to learn how to deal with it until you are at least 18". Its a life lesson. You always have to deal with people you don't like. Yes, its unfair that you pulled this straw...but, you HAVE TO LEARN TO DEAL WITH IT. This ultimately gives them better skills in dealing with other people and things in their life they don't like. Besides, the validation they get from hearing someone else say that is sometimes all they need. And there is my tree huggin' assessment of troubled children. Who here can tell I love my job? ;)

Lori G

Dec 1 2005

Philip – ” What the kids need is a social support structure that is conducive to improvement...especially with youth their own age. Also, don't forget that many people (kids included) have been so exposed to a negative environment for so long that THEY define that environment as normal -- the default setting, the litmus test, whatever you care to call it, for an average life. It's essentially the same thing as people spending all their lives in the same area, then going to the cosmopolitan big city and getting "culture shock".” I could not agree more! Ali Greggs – ”This is horrible, but sometimes the best thing you can say to a kid is "YES, YOUR MOTHER IS CRAZY...but you are going to have to learn how to deal with it until you are at least 18". Its a life lesson. You always have to deal with people you don't like. Yes, its unfair that you pulled this straw...but, you HAVE TO LEARN TO DEAL WITH IT.” I’ve had to say this to a few kids as well.

K RHODES

Dec 2 2005

I'm not trying to nitpick your post, Ali, but do want to build on your post via my own personal experience (though I've never been a criminal or even an "at risk" kid). Nevertheless, I think the following are critical for helping breaking kids (and everyone else for that matter) out of their mold. You yourself undoubtedly have more experience at this than I do, but I want to give my personal reactions anyway. CONTINUED

Philip

Dec 2 2005

Ali: This is horrible, but sometimes the best thing you can say to a kid is "YES, YOUR MOTHER IS CRAZY...but you are going to have to learn how to deal with it until you are at least 18". Its a life lesson. You always have to deal with people you don't like. Yes, its unfair that you pulled this straw...but, you HAVE TO LEARN TO DEAL WITH IT. I couldn't agree more. I don't want to sound like an outsider trying to coach an insider, but as sounds as your words are, it doesn't tell people HOW to deal with it. I realize you meant this as a summary statement and not a full thesis addressing HOW people learn to "deal with it". You no doubt have plenty of experience in teaching people how to "deal with it". I say this for the benefit of many people reading these posts. IMO, most poeple have been so thorougly trained in HOW to "deal with it" for so long that they find the techniques for doing so simply "human nature -- end of story". They simply have a difficult time conceive how "dealing with it" successfully cannot be natural -- in vaguely the same way that "standing up for yourself" is 'natural (ignoring the fact that "natural" is actually "deeply encoded second nature". In short, even many of the most basic common everyday behaviors are anything but truly natural. That's why every kid needs to be taught that lying, cheating, and stealing is wrong. I think this is the source of many popular but oversimple answers to dealing with society's problems - particular with ones own personality shortcomings. CONTINUED

Philip

Dec 2 2005

Ali: Besides, the validation they get from hearing someone else say that is sometimes all they need. Philip: Perfectly true in a lot of cases. I think a large part of this is getting people to determine what their authentic personality and interests really are -- particularly before puberty hit (which, from all too personal experience, is when many youth start to suppress their authentic personality -- and hence the "uncool" aspects of theirselves -- for the sake of seeking approval from their peers and the opposite sex [or same sex, if gay/lesbian]). Furthermore, to reenforce this, I would tell them where (geographically) they can find that validation AND encourage them to establish continuous contact with such a group. That would give them a "psychological umbilical cord" to a group they KNOW will validate their opinions and authentic personality (I know this from personal experience. I was able to resist being a drughead at boarding school PRECISELY because I knew there was lots of peer pressure in my home town NOT to take drugs. That made all the difference). Just some insights from my personal experience.

Philip

Dec 2 2005