This week I am composing the monthly Dept. of Youth Services report. This is an important task that keeps DYS updated on our progress here. It requires me to update each youth's case, separate from any co-offenders. It also points out where the youth's case is in the scheme of mediation and completing the terms of any agreement that might have been made. We have a few cases to close this month, which allows for more cases to come in. This is good news, because as I have already mentioned in previous posts, we are very low on cases.
This week is also a great time for me to convert all of the paper case file information to online format. I will be gone for the remainder of the month and therefore, need to make sure I can access all the information remotely if need be.
Our new case that was initiated last week or so needs some work. I need to contact the victim to make sure that he is aware of the situation and if he would like to participate in this program. The case is about property damage, so we are expecting him to want to mediate, but we shall see. I know if I were 17 and someone had damaged my car, I would do anything to get it paid for. I am very interested to find out how this case proceeds. It is most definitely not the "normal" case we see here.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Week 9- November 19th
This past week, we did get a new case thankfully. We have already received much interest from mediators and observers, and have put all the necessary people on the case. This case is very interesting in the scheme of our normal work in juvenile RJ mediation. Usually we get cases that are about graffiti, trespassing, or criminal mischief. This case is different in that it is about two older youth (17). One has damaged the other's car in the high school parking lot. Normally, we would want to focus on the wrong to the individual and community, but in this case, I have a feeling that it will be more on the wrong to the individual's car. Also, I can imagine that there will be more of a lean toward how to repay the damage. Crimes like damaging property on accident are much different from the usual crimes we see that were done intentionally. I honestly like this new type of case. I hope we get more cases like this. It would promote a more communicative process in youth people, especially in junior high and high school.
I have also been trying to make sure that one of the cases has their community service scheduled properly. I have been getting many angry emails from the parents, worried that they will not be able to get their kids scheduled before the end of the year (as their agreement stated). I have been trying very hard to get a hold of the representative from the organization in question, but it is seemingly impossible. I have told the parents not to worry, and that if the organization does not contact me in a week, the youth will be able to amend the agreement and complete community service through an organization of their choice.
I have also been trying to make sure that one of the cases has their community service scheduled properly. I have been getting many angry emails from the parents, worried that they will not be able to get their kids scheduled before the end of the year (as their agreement stated). I have been trying very hard to get a hold of the representative from the organization in question, but it is seemingly impossible. I have told the parents not to worry, and that if the organization does not contact me in a week, the youth will be able to amend the agreement and complete community service through an organization of their choice.
Week 8- November 12th
This week I had to follow up with many of the youth from last week that I gave last chance notices to. I also began a new spreadsheet for our 1-3 month follow up survey. This spreadsheet shows which youth have been given the survey, as well as any support persons, and victims for each case. It can get very hard to organize when some cases have multiple offenders and victims, and therefore multiple support people.
I was able to move a few cases into the "to close" folder this week because they had not answered our last chance notifications. This is unfortunate because we want all of the youth to follow through with their agreements, but at some point it becomes just too long for us to keep waiting on them to pay or complete just a few hours of community service. In the end, it makes more room for new cases to come in. Unfortunately on that end however, we have not received any new cases from the Dept. of Youth Services. Due to budget cuts and also low crime rates, we have not had many new cases in quite some time. Hopefully we will be getting a new one soon, our restorative justice mediators have been waiting a long time for one to come. Since the RJ training this past year, many people have shown great interest in RJ mediation, whether it is mediating, observing, or serving as a community member. I just hope we can give all of these people the opportunity to do so.
I was able to move a few cases into the "to close" folder this week because they had not answered our last chance notifications. This is unfortunate because we want all of the youth to follow through with their agreements, but at some point it becomes just too long for us to keep waiting on them to pay or complete just a few hours of community service. In the end, it makes more room for new cases to come in. Unfortunately on that end however, we have not received any new cases from the Dept. of Youth Services. Due to budget cuts and also low crime rates, we have not had many new cases in quite some time. Hopefully we will be getting a new one soon, our restorative justice mediators have been waiting a long time for one to come. Since the RJ training this past year, many people have shown great interest in RJ mediation, whether it is mediating, observing, or serving as a community member. I just hope we can give all of these people the opportunity to do so.
Week 7- November 5th
This week I worked on attempting to close cases that are inactive. In many cases, it ends up that the mediation agreement is agreed to by both parties, but the youth cannot follow through with it for some reason. Whether it's restitution or community service, it can be very difficult to implement. In many cases I have noticed that family support is the key to whether or not the youth will complete the terms of the agreement. Often, I call the youth and their families to check in with them (even though it is the youth who should be doing so), and I get a lot of resistance from the parents. It is odd to come across this behavior, especially when the parent was at the mediation, encouraging his/her child to be responsible and take accountability. After the mediation, it proves to be a challenge to remember to do community service and pay any restitution. In this economy, many parents have expressed difficulty finding the funds to pay the amount owed. Luckily, CMS has a partnership with the Dept. of Youth Services Work Crew. As I believe I have mentioned before, the work crew allows the youth to earn up to $50 a day to pay toward the victims. This is helpful to parents in most cases, but it is still hard for the parents to find the time to drop off their children at such an early hour, especially if they do not have a car.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Week 6- Oct. 29th
This week has been a crazy one. The case I have referred to last week has been continuously crazy. I have now found out that I had not gone through the proper methods to clear the boys from doing the work crew with the Dept. of Youth Services. This is unfortunate because I really want to maintain a solid connection with DYS for the future. However, I do know that it is not solely my fault.
I had set up the boys schedules with the contact I had received from the person who had filled that position last year (before the cut-backs). So when I found out that we were actually going to be using the work crew as an option for restitution (the first time this has happened since I have been working here for over a year), I was thrilled. I immediately emailed the new contact at DYS and asked who I should go about the process. The problem with that is, unbeknownst to be, I needed to go through someone else to clear the youth, medically and as far as restitution. The good news from all of this, is that I now know exactly what to do going into the future. Furthermore, I feel like the new person I am supposed to deal with and I are the same page.
Errors like these are essential for progress. They also remind me to document it, because in the future when I am no longer the intern, it will be important to have each step of the way listed. In a job with so many facets to it, documentation and explanation are integral to things running smoothly.
I had set up the boys schedules with the contact I had received from the person who had filled that position last year (before the cut-backs). So when I found out that we were actually going to be using the work crew as an option for restitution (the first time this has happened since I have been working here for over a year), I was thrilled. I immediately emailed the new contact at DYS and asked who I should go about the process. The problem with that is, unbeknownst to be, I needed to go through someone else to clear the youth, medically and as far as restitution. The good news from all of this, is that I now know exactly what to do going into the future. Furthermore, I feel like the new person I am supposed to deal with and I are the same page.
Errors like these are essential for progress. They also remind me to document it, because in the future when I am no longer the intern, it will be important to have each step of the way listed. In a job with so many facets to it, documentation and explanation are integral to things running smoothly.
Week 5- Oct. 22nd
This week I was really focused on a certain case's needs. There are three boys who need to set up community service hours for three organizations each. It is sometimes extremely difficult to track down victims when there are more than one per case. In this case, not only are there three offenders, but two victims. The trouble is, is that one of the victims is not responding to anyone's calls and is extremely ambivalent to the goings on here, even though he was part of the agreement AND his organization is receiving restitution for graffiti damage.The reason why this is happening is because this man is resigning from the organization, and does not feel the need to continue this process I guess. What is troublesome for me, is that he took part in this mediation and signed it and is now letting the kids and their parents down. The mothers of the boys have been really great about emailing me and letting me know what's happening, but I have little to say to comfort them about when this community service will be able to be scheduled. Luckily, they have already contacted the other person in the mediation and set up hours for the youth to work in December. I am always ecstatic when things go smoothly without needing my intervention. Hopefully next week will not be so chaotic. I have a feeling however, that this will not be the end of my struggle with this case. Furthermore, I feel as though I have not helped as much as I could have.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Week 4- Oct. 15th
This week I communicated with parents quite a bit regarding their sons' cases. I was able to confirm a couple of road crew assignments. I also was able to close three cases this week! I am very happy to be able to do this because it has taken forever for the community service organizations to show me proof of hours for some of the boys who are in the program. I am constantly on the phone with people and leaving messages to get information. I have really grown to be more patient in this job. I realize, that although it is a very big part of my position here to close cases for this individuals in a timely manner (per their agreement due dates), I am still dealing with folks who have their own jobs; which are often completely unrelated to what I am trying to achieve. Consequently, I have developed a stronger sense of patience.
Furthermore, I have realized that through contacting many agencies, whether it is a parent's work or an organization for community service, I think I have developed even stronger communication skills. I have experience running a switchboard and talking on the phone all day, but I think that this particular experience here at CMS has really shaped me into an effective communicator over the phone.
Another great aspect about getting cases closed, is that we will be able to get more new cases in the system from DYS. Unfortunately, I hear that they are unable to do so at this time. We are suspecting that we will get a heavy load of them all at once, which is great!
Furthermore, I have realized that through contacting many agencies, whether it is a parent's work or an organization for community service, I think I have developed even stronger communication skills. I have experience running a switchboard and talking on the phone all day, but I think that this particular experience here at CMS has really shaped me into an effective communicator over the phone.
Another great aspect about getting cases closed, is that we will be able to get more new cases in the system from DYS. Unfortunately, I hear that they are unable to do so at this time. We are suspecting that we will get a heavy load of them all at once, which is great!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Week 3- October 8th-12th
This week at CMS, I tried to schedule community service for a case with three offenders who need to do over 40 hours each as part of their restitution. One thing I have taken from this case and others like it, is that even the adult victims in some case are not as responsible as I would hope. Often times, the people who come to mediate who represent the city or other organizations that have been harmed, do not follow-up very well. The main cause for this I have found is lack of time in their schedules. Most of the time I do not blame these individuals, because honestly, I am just grateful they even accepted to participate. However, I do find it unprofessional and somewhat disrespectful for professionals in the city to come to mediation, create an agreement with a youth, and then not even respond to follow up calls on how they would like the agreement to be handled.
On the bright side, I was able to get all three of the boys scheduled for work crew as part of their agreement. Furthermore, one of the boys already finished his two days with the work crew, and his mother reported that he really enjoyed it. He was able to help clean up by a waterfall and had fun even. I am glad to see that these kids are being hard workers and even enjoying their time helping the community.
On the bright side, I was able to get all three of the boys scheduled for work crew as part of their agreement. Furthermore, one of the boys already finished his two days with the work crew, and his mother reported that he really enjoyed it. He was able to help clean up by a waterfall and had fun even. I am glad to see that these kids are being hard workers and even enjoying their time helping the community.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Week Two- October 1st - September 5th
This week at CMS, I did my usual routine of calling offenders/parents regarding restitution and community service. Additionally, I spent some time updating the RJ Bible that goes over all of our procedures and forms. I also created a facebook page for the Restorative Justice Program at CMS. Here, I will be posting news articles in RJ and growing public interest in RJ practices. Furthermore, I have been doing normal casework duties such as file work. Lastly, the monthly DYS report was due, and I completed it by updating cases and closing the appropriate ones.
CMS is has recently been approved for a grant to fund Teen Court! I have been excited to offer some of my internship hours there to help out with this effort. I think that my work with teens in any realm will prepare me for what I ultimately would like to do in my career path.
I am really enjoying my comfort level at CMS. I am eager to get more cases from DYS to help mediate. My experience mediating so far has been such a great time.
CMS is has recently been approved for a grant to fund Teen Court! I have been excited to offer some of my internship hours there to help out with this effort. I think that my work with teens in any realm will prepare me for what I ultimately would like to do in my career path.
I am really enjoying my comfort level at CMS. I am eager to get more cases from DYS to help mediate. My experience mediating so far has been such a great time.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Week One- Sept. 24-29
I have now been at CMS for over a year and case work has been going great! I have handled enough cases now that I feel extremely comfortable with my role here as RJ intern. One aspect of my work this fall that I am trying to work on is mediating cases. Unfortunately, DYS has not been giving us enough cases to make this happen. As soon as we get another RJ case in, I intend on jumping aboard.
This week I did make several calls to parents/offenders regarding restitution and community service. A few of our cases have been dragging on for over a year due to inability to pay the restitution amount off. Part of the problem I think is that we have no control over the deadline. Although the parties agree to a certain date for the restitution to be paid, it usually is never turned in on time. For the victims, this can be a very hard reality. Often times, it appears that financial hardship is the main factor.
For me, it is hard to pester families to pay up when I know it is such hard times for most people. On the other end of the spectrum however, the victims are generally just as strained, and perhaps more so in the wake of a crime that may have cost them money to repair. RJ is not an easy field to navigate, but it has definitely given me the opportunity to see the case from both the side of the offender and victim.
This week I did make several calls to parents/offenders regarding restitution and community service. A few of our cases have been dragging on for over a year due to inability to pay the restitution amount off. Part of the problem I think is that we have no control over the deadline. Although the parties agree to a certain date for the restitution to be paid, it usually is never turned in on time. For the victims, this can be a very hard reality. Often times, it appears that financial hardship is the main factor.
For me, it is hard to pester families to pay up when I know it is such hard times for most people. On the other end of the spectrum however, the victims are generally just as strained, and perhaps more so in the wake of a crime that may have cost them money to repair. RJ is not an easy field to navigate, but it has definitely given me the opportunity to see the case from both the side of the offender and victim.
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