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.