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.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
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.
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