Missouri's youth offender program wins Harvard University award

In a brightly colored classroom at the Girardot Center for Youth, painted face masks line a shelf near the ceiling. Before release from the residential treatment center, every juvenile offender constructs one. For most, the mask becomes a symbol of their transformation.

"That person may have seen death. The black shows they could have been depressed. But the blue, that's recovery. You paint what you feel, how you've changed from being in here," said a 14-year-old student, pointing to a mask.

The Division of Youth Services program has long served as a model for progressive reform, and for years other states have looked to the "Missouri Model" as an example. On Monday, the division got a significant recognition and a boost to help duplicate its services.

The division was one of six institutions to win one of Harvard University's Innovations in American Government Awards. With the award comes $100,000 for replication in other states.

"Hopefully this is going to be the start of a national movement," said Brian Hauswirth, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Social Services, of which the Division of Youth Services is a subsidiary.

The Division of Youth Services program is successful because it is cost-efficient and focuses on rehabilitation, not punishment, said April Lambert, facility manager for Girardot Center for Youth. Other states place juvenile offenders in "boot camps or prison-type settings, which are large and institutionalized," she said. "But we really believe kids have the potential to grow."

Youths who enter Cape Girardeau's Girardot Center for Youth do not come in shackles, nor are they placed behind bars. Instead, they live in small, homelike centers, attend class, complete community service and undergo extensive therapy.

At 7.3 percent in 2007, Missouri's youth recidivism rate is one of the lowest in the country. Missouri also beats the national average for the percentage of youth offenders who earn high school credits or receive GEDs.

Repeat offenders in the juvenile court system can be referred to a day treatment center or a residential program -- community-based, moderate-care, or secure care, which vary in severity based on the crime committed. About half the youths referred have committed a felony, Hauswirth said.

There are 32 residential centers in the state, which served 2,276 youth last year. Cape Girardeau has one day center, known as Echo. The Girardot center is community-based and serves 24 boys aged 11 to 17. The average length of stay is six months.

On Wednesday, the boys spent the morning on cleanup duty at the SEMO District Fair, attended class in the afternoon and were completing homework, reading, or attending a group-therapy session before dinner.

"No matter where we are, we are always in treatment. You slowly change while you're in here. You want to do better so you're not in a place like this," said a 16-year-old, who has already earned his GED and hopes to join the military.

Youths live in dormlike "cottages" and three teachers work on-site, assisted by therapists, learning specialists, a nurse and case managers. The students are given considerable freedom; they can wear their own clothes and can earn furloughs to visit family on the weekends.

They progress through "paths" that require goal-setting and reflection. The teens learn how to avoid the "offender cycle" and must complete "ripple charts" to show how their actions affect others. They are also taught job and practical life skills.

"We take the holistic approach. There's a dedication to seeing change," said Tana Regnier, Girardot's special-education teacher.

Only one other Missouri program, Parents as Teachers, has received the Harvard honor, in 1986. Since then the early childhood program has expanded to all 50 states.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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