Summer job justice

Now that school is out, some young people have enough time on their hands to get into trouble. But teens in the juvenile detention program have dirt on their hands from mounding cantaloupe hills, pulling weeds, and tending to rows and rows of vegetables, fruits and berries they have planted in a garden at the Cape Girardeau County Juvenile Detention Center, 44 N. Lorimier St. in Cape Girardeau.

Youths detained prior to going to court take classes from 7:45 a.m. until noon every day to catch up with their school work, said juvenile officer Randy Rhodes.

Teens who have been assigned community service get an increase in the hours they serve during the summer. When they're not in school, they're working.

Some are paying restitution to their victims. Juveniles are usually sentenced to 25 hours of community service for a misdemeanor -- property damage or minor assault -- and 50 hours for a felony. Cape Girardeau County provides about $3,000, which goes into the restitution account along with money from other sources. Teens who can't afford to pay restitution can work it off.

Most of the offenses involve less than $500 in restitution, Rhodes said.

One way to work off restitution is in the garden.

Counselor Tim Rabey has supervised the teens for the past two years. Every day a group of seven young people pulls weeds and tends to the growing plants. Out of that group, Rabey said, maybe two have ever been in a garden before.

"To some it's punishment," Rabey said. "But one is really excited and wants to come back and pick produce when it comes into season."

The last reaction is what the juvenile office wants. Teens have to learn there are consequences for their actions, but the staff wants them also to learn a positive way of spending time so they will stay out of trouble.

Some of the garden produce will be used in the detention center kitchen. Much will be donated to the House of Hope food bank. Last year the teens raised a large crop of potatoes which went to the food bank, Rhodes said.

This year they have had to deal with a theft in their own back yard.

"We just found a groundhog had raided the garden," Rhodes said.

Those who aren't gardening have built a picnic shelter.

"They did a really good job," Rabey said. "Only the people who worked on it can really see the flaws."

The teens also will build bluebird houses to be distributed to public parks in the area, Rhodes said.

The money to supply the garden and building projects comes from the Missouri Department of Public Safety Juvenile Accountability and Incentive Block Grant, Rhodes said.

Other funding, which helps pay for alternative education, comes from the Missouri Division of Youth Services Juvenile Diversion Program. Rhodes said funding from that source has made it possible for about 200 young people to graduate from high school who otherwise might have ended up in prison instead of in the work force where they are now.

While the teens are working, they're learning. Through community service, Rhodes said, they're being exposed to jobs they may pursue when they finish school.

While assigned to community service, the juvenile offenders help out with the parks and recreation departments in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. They pick up trash along the streets and help with other cleanup projects.

Some help out at the Salvation Army and with the Boys and Girls Club.

Mitch Thomas, director of the Salvation Army, said he appreciates the labor the juveniles provide. They help collect donated items, sort clothing, assist customers at the thrift store in loading items into their vehicles, and help with cleanup.

"It's a great benefit to us," Thomas said. "And they get some kind of work ethic out of the project. They get to work their community service hours in a positive way by helping others."

Judy Evans, director of the Boys and Girls Club, said the teens bring an attitude with them when they first come in to work off their hours.

"They first come in sullen and sulking. They have to be there," Evans said. "Tim [Rabey] is usually behind them. He's a big guy, and he's not taking much from these fellows. This is their punishment, and he's not going to let it off of them."

The juveniles mostly help with cleanup at the Boys and Girls Club. The club's budget doesn't allow for a large staff, so Evans appreciates any help she can get. Once Rabey leaves the youths under her supervision, she knows they'll cooperate with her or they'll answer to him.

As time passes, the teens recognize younger children at the Boys and Girls Club from their neighborhoods and see they're having a good time. Soon they're put to work helping out with the younger children. Eventually they start coming in on their own.

"We're proud of that," Evans said. "They have a better life getting off the streets and doing things for themselves. That's our goal."

Evans recalled one juvenile who, like many who come to do community service, had never heard of the Boys and Girls Club. He has finished his community service but now comes regularly and plays three-on-three basketball in the club's league.

"He likes coming to hang out here," she said. "It gives him something he likes to do. It's wonderful how the program with the juveniles is coming together here beautifully."

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160