KOCE to Profile Shortstop Program

Shortstop, an Orange County program that aims to dissuade juveniles from a life of crime, is the subject of a 30-minute program hosted by newsman Jim Cooper to be shown on KOCE-TV Channel 50 tonight and again on Friday.

In Shortstop, first-time offenders are put in a “lockup” at Orange County Superior Courthouse where they hear some tough talk from adult inmates about the realities of prison life. Together with Programa Shortstop, its sister program for Latinos, Shortstop has worked with more than 8,000 first-time offenders.

Sponsored by the Orange County Bar Foundation, Shortstop claims a success rate of 92% (the percentage of first-time offenders who stayed out of trouble for at least a year). The KOCE program will show Shortstop in action and will include interviews with in-studio guests.

“The Shortstop Story” will air today at 4:30 p.m. and Friday at 8:30 p.m.