State grant effort to stop repeating juvenile offenders
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

Two programs designed to prevent juvenile probationers from becoming adult offenders will soon be available in Wharton County thanks to a grant from the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission.

"The idea is to throw money at the front end of the problem by providing new and innovative programs," Wharton County Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Holly McCown said.

"It's much more expensive to have to send a juvenile to the Texas Youth Commission or have them end up in prison (then) if we can make a change in their lives now."

The first program is designed to educate people with children in the juvenile probation system. The second is aimed at young women in juvenile probation and will address some of the underlying problems that led to their being placed on probation.

The Wharton County Commissioners Court gave the go ahead Sept. 10 for the proactive approach by voting to accept a grant from the TJPC on McCown's recommendation. The probation department will receive $11,607 each year from the state for the next two years to fund the programs.

"The grant money had to go to totally new programs," McCown said. "I think the commissioners were a little disappointed that we couldn't use it to offset existing programs, but the new programs will fill a need."

McCown added the grant means no local tax dollars will be used to fund the programs for the first two years. She anticipates the state continuing to fund the grant in the future.

"TJPC has never taken away a grant once we've started receiving it," she said. "And most of the grants have a no loss provision, meaning that we continue to receive at least the same level of funding as the previous year."

The parenting skills class is something that will fill a need in the county, McCown said, adding it will be taught by licensed chemical dependency counselor Delpha Price, who has run similar programs in the past.

The education series will initially only be open to parents with children currently in the probation department. Sessions will be offered once a month for six months and address such topics as substance abuse, anger issues, conflict resolution, communications and interacting with the probation department.

McCown said the cost of the parenting series is $200 for instruction and learning materials. She added the $200 will be paid out of the grant funds if the classes are completed.

The sessions will be held the third Thursday of each month.

"We're looking at having the courts make the class mandatory for the parents," she said. "If they choose not to attend the full series, they will be responsible for paying the $200 cost, which will be rolled back into the grant fund to provide another family with the opportunity to attend."

McCown added the program could soon be extended to parents who are also adult probationers.

In discussing the girls' counseling groups, McCown said her department has been seeing an increase in the number of girls being placed on probation and that those girls share a number of issues. Price has also been contracted to serve as the counselor for the groups.

"We already do some mixed group counseling," McCown said.

"But there are some issues that seem to be specifically female and the girls might not feel comfortable talking in mixed company."

Among the issues identified are negative body image, lack of self-esteem and self mutilation, such as cutting arms or other body parts, McCown said.

"When they start behaving like that there is a reason for it," McCown said. "And it seems to be a precursor for their getting into the trouble that resulted in their being placed on probation."

McCown said the goal would be to set up similar groups in Wharton, El Campo, East Bernard and Boling.

"We want to offer a combination of times and locations," Mc- Cown said. "For example, some of the kids in El Campo have problems getting to Wharton for counseling sessions because of the travel involved if their parents are working and can't get off to drive them."