Juvenile Programs
Anger Replacement Therapy (ART): This is a cognitive behavior, multi-modal curriculum comprised of three components: Structured Learning Training, Anger Control Training and Moral Reasoning. This program provides the youths with the means to lean self-control when their anger is aroused. Each step teaches the youth to reduce their anger and substitute pro-social behaviors. The anger cycle is taught in steps beginning with Triggers, Cues, Anger Reducers, Reminders and Self Evaluation.
Bienvenido Program: The Bienvenido program is a program that was created with the hope of supporting immigrant youth in their adjustment to a new school setting and community. It also works to strengthen communication between adolescents and their parents through weekly interviews. The program helps immigrants process leaving their country but also helps them understand what is happening as they adjust to life in a new country. The program will assist adolescents in becoming more involved in their school and community. The program contains six major components. The topics are positive thinking, time-management, stress-management, suicide prevention, self-discipline and fitting in. Art, dance, yoga and conflict resolution training are some things that have been used to stimulate discussion with the students.
Cage Your Rage: this program is designed to help juveniles understand and deal with anger by recording their feelings and actions. It will teach juveniles ways to not only recognize their anger but also control it through making appropriate choices. Chapters discuss; what causes anger, growing up with anger, how emotions develop, relaxation, managing anger, self talk, action controls, etc.
Cage Your Rage for Women: Cage Your Rage for Women is an anger management workbook specifically targeted to women. The exercises are intended for women working with their counselors either individually or in a group setting. Nevertheless, the workbook’s focus on women’s anger issues suggests that its content can be helpful to all women, not just those in counseling with a trained professional.
Clean Lifestyle Is Freedom Forever (CLIFF): this program is designed to provide services to students who have experienced significant negative life experiences as a result of substance abuse or residing with family members who use substance abuse. The students will receive individual counseling, group counseling, pro-social skills (life skills) and family counseling provided by Substance Abuse Counselors. The focus of all treatment services is to provide students with the tools necessary to change their thinking and behavior resulting in opportunities to develop and maintain a clean and sober lifestyle.
Employability Skills: This program prepares youth for process of obtaining employment. The program will discuss goal setting, financial planning, employment resources, job conduct, interviewing, applications, resume development and professional appearance.
Future Solider Program: the purpose of this program is to identify students who meet military enlistment criteria, develop and prepare them as legitimate military recruits and arrange for their re-entry placement into one of the military branches whenever possible. The students selected for this program will have volunteered for the program, submitted an application, have reached the age of sixteen and completed a formal interview process. Participation in this program in no way assures acceptance into the military, however the facility will assist in the process. Program objectives are: develop good citizenship, develop self-reliance, leadership and responsiveness to constituted authority, improve the ability to communicate well, develop an appreciation for physical fitness, increase respect for the role of the US Armed Forces in support of national objectives and develop a basic knowledge of military skills.
Gang Realities in Our World (GROW): this program focuses on gang intervention and personal growth. This program was inspired by the book “Gangbusters” written by Lonnie Jackson. Students placed in this program are housed together in the same unit and attend gang intervention groups to work on developing appropriate pro-social bonds, understanding appropriate role models, victim empathy, etc.
Inmate to Workmate: ARAMARK food service “Inmate to Workmate Program” was designed to provide inmates with food service training and practical work experience. It focuses on broad transferable food service skills as well as the comprehension and demonstration of key food service operations. The program includes formal vocational training in both classroom and kitchen setting with hands on experience, food safety concepts are taught in the ServSafe certification program, and it is an opportunity for mentoring and coaching.
Purposeful Living Units Serve (PLUS): this program provides an opportunity for students to explore and choose alternatives to criminal thinking and behavior through an emphasis on spiritual, moral and character development, life-skills training and intentional preparation for living as law abiding citizens who contribute to the well-being of their community.
Sex Offender Treatment and Education Program (STEP): The Sex offender Treatment and Education Program (STEP) will be provided to all students who are adjudicated of a sex offense. Students will be housed in a complex for the duration of their STEP programming but would be eligible for alternative housing once they have completed their individual STEP programming.
The Stay Sharp Substance Abuse Program: This program is a Coping skills technique program, along with motivational interviewing, drug education and a relapse prevention. The program’s anagram, Stay Sharp is its organizing principle: S= Striving for Engagement
H= How I get there
A= Abuse or Addiction
R= Ready to Change
P= Planning for the Future
Thinking For A Change: Treatment Program that addresses criminal thinking errors through cognitive-behavioral skills training; social skills training; and problem solving skills training. The students learn and appreciate that cognitive restructuring does require some cognitive skill methods as does cognitive skills require an objective, systematic approach to identifying thinking, beliefs, attitudes and values. Thinking Reports are a core part of this program that arte used as homework assignments.
VOICES: Voices is a female specific program of self discovery and empowerment. It encourages girls to seek and celebrate their “true selves” by giving them a safe space, encouragement, structure, and support to embrace their important journey of self discovery. The focus is on issues that are important in the lives of adolescent girls from modules about self and connection with others to exploring health living and the journey ahead. The curriculum uses a variety of therapeutic approaches, including psycho-educational, cognitive-behavioral, expressive arts and relational theory.
Why Try: Students learn ten visual metaphors, such as the Reality Ride, Tearing off Labels, Defense Mechanisms, etc. These metaphors teach and help students explore new social skills and coping skills techniques to break old behavior patterns and to achieve opportunity, freedom, and self respect in their lives. Students complete assignments that involve writing, art, music, and physical activities to practice their skills. Students then learn how to apply the skills to their criminogenic needs, their high risk factors, and their life upon release.
You Can See Over The Wall: this is the final metaphor in the Why Try program. Students are enrolled in this once they complete the Why Try core program. This metaphor summarizes the rest of the program and assists students in pulling together what they have learned. Students re-visit skills learned and explore them more deeply. Students also ware expected to show how they are applying the skills from Why Try in order to develop healthy, pro-social habits of thinking, feeling, believing and behaving. Students also begin to practice making re-entry plans to change their lifestyle ad address the triggers in each of their needs that will lead them back to negative patterns.
Performance Based Standards (Pbs) was developed to improve conditions of confinement for youths in correctional facilities across the country so that during the youth’s incarceration, they have individualized opportunities to learn and grow that will increase their chances for success when they return to the community. Pbs is a tool for self-improvement and accountability for the basics of facility operations that is grounded in national standards and provides performance outcomes indicating effectiveness.
Pbs improves the understanding of best practices and methods that, when fully employed can significantly improve the conditions of confinement and the quality of life for youths and work environment for staff in secure facilities. It will increase accountability through the use of data in the system, which enhances the ability to track improvement and identify issues. Pbs was launched by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in 1995. OJJDP initiated Pbs to create national juvenile facility standards that are supported by outcome measures indicating performance rather than process-oriented standards reporting the existence of policies. Pbs asks the facilities to report data twice a year and report back on 105 outcome measures for correctional facilities that indicate performance toward meeting standards derived from seven goals, one goal for each of the following components of facility operations: safety, security, order, programming (including education)health/mental health, justice and reintegration. Target areas are identified by a list of outcomes and areas that the facility wants to focus on improvement efforts and plan for the development of the Pbs Facility Improvement Plan (FIP).
Peace Learning (Grant Funded)
Learning non-violent coping mechanisms in a way that incorporates mind, body, nature and self-discovery. In partnership with the Indiana Department of Correction and Federal Title 1 and Federal Title II, Peace Learning Center implements an intensive peace education program for incarcerated youth that blends conflict resolution and diversity skills with challenge education that promotes personal responsibility for success. The Peace Learning Program is a holistic approach to positive change. Peace Learning Center’s programs focus on building these protective factors in youth. Protective factors include:
• Conflict resolution and critical thinking skills
• The ability to be adaptable and flexible and have empathy and caring for others
• A sense of purpose and belief in a positive future
• A commitment to education and learning
• The ability to act independently and feel a sense of control over one’s environment
• The ability to solve problems, plan for the future and be resourceful in seeking out sources of support
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