NCJ Number
180860
Journal
Corrections Technology and Management Volume: 3 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 1999 Pages: 26-28
Date Published
1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the facilities and programs of the recently renovated Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center (LMYSC) in Golden, Colo.
Abstract
The $3.1 million construction budget included an educational and vocational program expansion that shifted the academic program toward a school-to-work model. The Center holds approximately 214 juveniles between the ages of 12 and 20 years old, with the average age being 16 or 17. Upon entry into the Colorado Youth Services System, juveniles can expect a 30-day assessment of attitude, behavior, social skills, and academic standing. Following this assessment period is an orientation program at LMYSC that lasts 45-75 days. During this period, inmates live in dormitories and wear orange jumpsuits. Only one-third of the juveniles at orientation will remain at the facility. The other two-thirds are moved to a community or a medium-security facility. Those who remain require the maximum security of LMYSC. The ultimate goal of LMYSC's program is behavioral restructuring. Teachers and counselors at the Center attempt to prepare residents for productive lives when they re-enter their communities. The Lab school has a number of tailored facilities for youths with learning disabilities or emotional handicaps. Students have some choice in the vocational study they pursue, such as electronics (computer repair), culinary arts, car repair, construction, janitorial services, horticulture, personal trainers, and reprographics (screen printing). The vocational program combines learning a trade with a marketing/entrepreneurial class, which teaches the principles of starting and running a business, beginning with accounting and bookkeeping.