Intervention Effort Aims to Redirect Youth

Rosie spent most of eighth grade ditching school, getting high and fighting with her parents. She came home only every few days--to take a shower or to sleep.

“It was hell there for a while,” said her mother. “We didn’t know if it was better having her home or not. When she was around, we were always yelling and screaming. And when she wasn’t around, I didn’t know where she was.”

In November, during one of their worst fights, 15-year-old Rosie threatened to kill her mother. Police arrested her soon after for making a “terrorist threat.”

The court placed Rosie under house arrest. But immediately after she got back from court, she violated probation by getting into another fight with her mother. So she was sent to juvenile hall for two weeks.

Now Rosie, who began smoking marijuana at 13, is one of about 50 Santa Paula youths participating in an intense early intervention program designed to steer children at risk of such problems away from drugs, gangs and crime.

The program, which started in November, targets children under age 15 who have committed minor offenses, have serious truancy problems or have been abused, and offers them tutoring, counseling and recreational activities.

Prevention Efforts

Throughout Ventura County, community-based organizations have established prevention programs to redirect youths before they commit serious offenses. In November, the county set aside $850,000 in state funds for these prevention efforts in Santa Paula, Piru and Fillmore. And a similar program has been underway in Oxnard for six months.

Law enforcement and school officials say such programs can really make the difference for a child on the verge of a criminal future.

“The best intervention program is a couple of strong parents,” outgoing Santa Paula Police Chief Walt Adair said. “But there has to be energy to help the kids who don’t have that parental support. The goal is to intervene with them before they commit felonies and start on the fast track to lifelong institutional commitment.”

The Santa Paula program, the most ambitious in the county, has two components: a family resource center and an alliance of social services organizations.

The family resource center, which opened in January, is a safe place for children to go after school if their parents aren’t home, and for parents to receive referrals and bilingual information. The center also has office space available for case mentors, a probation officer and a substance-abuse counselor.

The youth services alliance is a coalition of seven local organizations: Santa Paula Boys & Girls Club, the Santa Paula Elementary School District, Interface Children Family Services, the Palmer Drug Abuse Program, Santa Paula Health Action Coalition, Blanchard Community Library and the Commission on Human Concerns.

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Children, some as young as 6, are referred to the program by school or law enforcement officials. About 75% are first- or second-time offenders, and the other 25% have attendance or behavior problems at school. The youths also may be associated with gangs, have drug or alcohol problems or have family histories of violence and abuse. Although they must be 14 or younger when they are referred, the youths can stay in the program after they turn 15.

After referral, a case mentor visits the home and develops a plan for each child. Based on the need, a child may have to attend drug-abuse support groups, tutoring sessions, family counseling or anger management sessions.

Children also perform community service, participate in leadership conferences and attend field trips. A recent excursion led several children to the California Youth Authority’s juvenile jail near Camarillo--an experience that counselors hope encourages kids to change their ways.

Case mentors evaluate the child’s behavior and growth after three months. The goal, they say, is for the children to improve their academic performance, stop using drugs and alcohol and avoid “pre-delinquent” behaviors, and to increase participation in healthy activities. Most children will stay in the program for at least six months.

Potential Savings

Santa Paula’s program has the potential to benefit Ventura County by keeping children out of the already crowded juvenile justice system and by saving the county money. Senior Deputy Probation Officer Olivia Cisneros said early intervention costs the county far less than incarceration.

Although the populations being served are very different, a youth staying at juvenile hall costs an average of $115 per day, and a child in an early intervention program costs about $1,000 annually. And with the county’s detention center over capacity, officials are doing whatever they can to prevent new offenders from entering the system.

“We can do the most . . . up front and at the very beginning, before we lose them to the really severe problems,” Cisneros said. “I’m hoping we can turn a lot of them around. We really need to make a big effort to keep young people out of the system.”

Rosie’s plan requires her to attend a drug counseling group twice a week and a leadership class once a week. She also goes to the Boys & Girls Club every Wednesday afternoon, attends school part time and meets with her case mentor frequently.

“I don’t have time to do anything bad because I’m trying to stay out of trouble,” Rosie said. “There are lots of things to keep me busy so I don’t get in trouble.”

The pale teen with amber eyes and stringy auburn hair was recently awarded a woven necklace signifying 30 days of sobriety. She said she feels more awake now, and doesn’t ever want to go back to her old lifestyle. “In my head, it’s all over and done with,” she said.

But Rosie worries about what would happen if she didn’t have the help and support of the counselors.

“I think I’d still be out there doing bad stuff,” she said. “But now there’s something to look forward to every day.”

Her mother said she and Rosie have gotten along much better since her daughter started going to the center. “It’s like night and day,” the mother said. “My daughter’s done a complete turnaround.”

Now Rosie tells her mom pretty much everything, from what’s going on at school to how she’s getting along with her boyfriend.

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But not all families share the same enthusiasm for the program.

Fourteen-year-old Vince said the program is keeping him off the streets, but that it is boring and that the counselors “bug” him. And his mother said her son still gets into trouble frequently.

“I’m sure the people are truly concerned and really want to help, but I don’t think it’s really serving its purpose,” she said.

Case mentor Cecilia Hernandez said she struggles to involve the parents. Although they are invited to attend a weekly support group, only about four parents attend the meeting each week.

“We’re not miracle workers,” Hernandez said. “It’s a team effort and everybody has to do their part. The kids who’ve had success so far are the ones where parents are involved.”

Early Indications

Vince’s mother said she doesn’t go to the parent meetings because she is worried about her safety. “To me, it’s scary,” she said. “I don’t go ‘cause I see the kids that go, so I can only imagine what the parents are like.”

School officials say teachers can often tell which children will end up juvenile delinquents as early as kindergarten or first grade. That’s when the behavioral problems start, said Frida Friend, director of special education services for the Santa Paula Elementary School District. And that’s when the children should begin receiving help.

“As they become adults and life hardens them, it becomes harder to intervene,” she said. “If we are going to intervene, the time to do it is in the elementary school level.”