An alternative to incarceration program offers at-risk young adults a trauma-informed way to get their life back on track.
It was sophomore year in high school when Shond’Ue* said his fits of fury became more frequent. Arguments with his teachers and fistfights with students resulted in suspensions and multiple arrests that he wasn’t comfortable mentioning.
Shond’Ue admits that he spent his teen years struggling with substance abuse. Just marijuana, he emphasized. He said he was never ever affiliated with any gangs, but his moody demeanor often made him confrontational.
“Most of my arrests was for fighting. I was always having problems at home and at school,” he said. “At that point in my life nothing was going right.”
About a year ago, Shond’Ue, now 24, decided that the cycle of repeated lock-ups needed to come to an end. His probation officer suggested that he enroll in the Young Adult Justice Scholars — a GED program run by the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), one of the largest alternatives to incarceration organizations in the city.
http://jjie.org/justice-scholars-enables-at-risk-teens-to-get-back-on-track/107266/
Comments (0)