A bridge to success for Chambers County teens

BY KADIE TAYLOR

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

The Chambers County Bridge program works to guide adolescent offenders to a positive future in their community.

“This Bridge program is set up for males and females that are between 12 and 18 years old, who are delinquent with a medium to high risk of rearrest and the court feels like they need to receive some direction before they step too far,” said County Attorney Skip McCoy. “The Bridge program is set up so that they [the courts] can monitor them, and they can educate the youth to prevent recidivism. That’s the whole purpose of it; it’s kind of like the diversion program that we have in the criminal court system for first offenders. This is a program to try to rehabilitate people; it’s a punishment, but it’s also an opportunity for them to see the light and make things better for their lives and their families’ lives.”

Through a variety of strategies and individualized plans, McCoy said the Bridge program gives participants needed support and accountability.

“When you have a person that is steering off the main path, one of the things that we have seen in juvenile courts is that, unfortunately, there may not be that strong nuclear family available to them that can lead them in the right direction,” he said. “So through counseling and discussions, both individual therapy and then [therapy] with whatever family is available, then discussions can be had, information can be derived and the route to the actual problem can sometimes be discovered, which is beneficial to the juvenile.”

McCoy said the Bridge program is a tool for the attorneys who are representing the individuals in the felony circuit court, and for those who have a decent track record, the attorney representing the charged can make recommendations to the court.

“Then the court can have the probation office do a background check and see what their prior records are and determine if there might be an opportunity for them to engage in one of these programs,” he said. “So this is a program that the court knows is available and will utilize, if, when the judge makes that determination, it would be beneficial to the individual and to the community.”

McCoy said the Chambers County Commission has been fully supportive of different rehabilitation programs for both adults and juveniles.

“We have a community corrections officer that monitors people that the court provides the felony court judges, the circuit court judges, an opportunity to let these people try to recuperate and try to get their lives straight,” he said. “So many people, unfortunately, are disadvantaged, and they don’t have the means by which to steer themselves away from crime. So a lot of times [rehabilitation programs] help them try to get their driver’s license and try to help them get a job.”

Through programs like Bridge, McCoy said, the effort impacts not only participants but also those around them in Chambers County.

“When you have individuals that are borderline going in the wrong direction, you want to try to give them every opportunity to succeed,” he said. “By succeeding, they become a positive influence, not only for themselves, but also potentially for some of their peers. When you educate youth about the path to success — and that if they follow this path, good things can happen for them — then you’re not only promoting the community but also preventing recidivism, which is what you do not want.”

This intentionality behind the Bridge program, McCoy said, shows the importance of community support and how it can aid juvenile offenders in pursuing a productive life.

“From a community perspective, I think what it does is it sends a signal out to the community that, in Chambers County, we care,” he said. “In Chambers County, we want to give everybody an opportunity to succeed, but there are repercussions if you fail to want to take advantage of those things. But you know, first off, in Chambers County, we want to give every child and every person who lives here an opportunity to be productive citizens and to be able to live here and give back to the community.”

McCoy said the Bridge program tailors rehabilitation strategies for each individual juvenile, ensuring the program meets their needs.

“A kid who comes in that breaks into houses — his program would be different from a kid that comes in that’s down the road on drugs,” he said. “They analyze each one of the youth and determine what program will be best for them. Then they monitor that and report back to the court with how that program is maturing and how that individual is responding. All that data has to go back to the Department of Youth Services.”

Ultimately, McCoy said the Bridge program benefits both juvenile offenders and Chambers County residents by creating a more supportive and productive community.

“A lot of people, especially young people, just want somebody in their life that shows that they care,” he said. “And when you’ve got that positive reinforcement from a person you look up to, it makes you motivated to do better and want to do better. It’s a reward system where, if you do better and you’re acknowledged for it, then it develops a pattern. Maybe you didn’t get that training at home, but now you see how things have to be for you to be more productive, to stay out of trouble and to be happier — just to be happier.”