OC HIGH / STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : Shortstop Rehab Helps First-Time Offenders

For many first-time offenders, help comes in the form of Shortstop, an Orange County program for youths 10 through 17 that allows them to participate in a rehabilitation program rather than going through the juvenile justice system.

The goal of Shortstop and its Spanish-language counterpart, Programa Shortstop, is to turn around petty juvenile criminals before they turn to hard-core crimes.

The program consists of two three-hour classes, which youths must attend with a parent. Youths and their parents are taken into the county prison and juvenile lock-down facilities to see what life in jail is like. They also speak to youth offenders who have spent time in a jail cell.

This harsh reality is followed up with positive reinforcement, showing the youths that they do have choices.

Juveniles are referred to the program, funded by the Orange County Bar Foundation, by school officials, a parent, police officers or the probation department.

Shortstop claims a success rate of 92% (the percentage of first-time offenders who stayed out of trouble for at least a year). The nonprofit program, started about five years ago, sees about 1,250 youths and their families a year.

‘Dad . . . I Am Very Sorry’

Andy is a 15-year-old from Orange County who was caught shoplifting and who then participated in the Shortstop rehabilitation program. The following is a letter he wrote to his father as part of the program.

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Dear Dad,

I am writing you this letter to let you know how I feel about what I have done. First of all, I am very sorry for dragging you into all this mess. I know that you gave me a good sense of values, and I really screwed up this time. I hope that you can find in your heart to forgive me for shoplifting. I know now that I not only hurt myself (but) my friends, family and others as well. I don’t want to lose your respect for me, and I want you to always be proud of me. I will do better for you so that I can earn back your respect. I know that if I really needed the clothes, all I had to do was to ask you and you would have bought them for me. I hope that someday when I have kids of my own that I can be a great dad to them just like you’ve been to me.

Stealing never solves anything, and I will never attempt this again. It really scared me when I was handcuffed and put into the back of a police car. I understand the consequences if you get caught stealing. At the time when I did it, I wasn’t thinking about if I would get caught or not. I honestly thought no one would catch me. I made the wrong decision and got caught; now I have to pay for what I did. The Shortstop program has been a lot of work, more than I am used to doing, even at school. I know that this program is my only chance at staying out of the juvenile system and I am thankful for the chance to participate in it.

I love you, Dad, and I am really sorry for doing this to you. Please forgive me.

Love,

Andy