NCJ Number
126820
Journal
Insight on the News Volume: 6 Issue: 37 Dated: (September 10, 1990) Pages: 20-21
Date Published
1990
Length
2 pages
Annotation
While at the Fort Smallwood Marine Institute in Pasadena, Maryland, juvenile delinquents not only improve their chances of getting along in society but also enjoy facilities they otherwise might not have access to such as scuba diving and a marina.
Abstract
Locking up delinquent youths in most State-run juvenile detention facilities costs from $50,000 to $65,000 a year, with little assurance that anything meaningful will happen to rehabilitate them or deter them from committing more crime. The 8 months that juveniles typically spend in the Fort Smallwood Marine Institute costs about $7,000. After completion of the institute's program, youth have better prospects for finding a job, continuing their education, and avoiding further conflict with the legal system. The institute can accommodate about 40 students and is predicated on the idea that the primary obstacle facing many delinquent youth is an inability to cope in the public school system. The institute is a day program from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The institute will not accept youth with arson, suicide attempts, violent assaults, or indications of mental illness on their records. The goal is to build self-esteem and confidence, and an effort is made to create a family environment where youth receive love, affection, discipline, and feedback.