THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060417
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WALTERS LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
A correctional center with a new slant on rehabilitating juveniles convicted of minor offenses will open here by Jan. 1.
State officials Tuesday announced an agreement between the city of Richmond and the state Department of Youth and Family Services to house up to 45 youths, between 14 and 17 years old, in a boot camp-like setting.
The 57-acre site is in Isle of Wight County, just outside Walters and off U.S. Route 258, northwest of Windsor. From 1954 until 1991, it was the Nansemond Correctional Unit, a work camp for state prisoners in their final days of imprisonment.
``We've all realized for a while that we need to have a new approach for less-serious juvenile offenders so that state correctional facilities can be used for the more serious,'' said Sheila Hill-Christian, juvenile justice services administrator for Richmond. ``We've been looking for community-based programs for shorter periods of time.''
The camp will serve at least 25 youths from Richmond, and another 20 could come from throughout Virginia, Hill-Christian said.
This Virginia pilot program will be run by Youth Services International of Owings Mills, Md. It will emphasize education in a structured environment, Hill-Christian said, but it also will offer anger management therapy, emphasize accountability for actions and offer assistance in finding employment or getting back into school.
Malcolm T. ``Mac'' Cofer, chairman of the Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors, said, ``It will bring us an opportunity for 35 or 40 new jobs. . can be put to good use.''
Phillip Bradshaw, supervisor representing the Carrsville District, said, ``We're not talking about die-hard criminals. These are non-violent juveniles who will be offered rehab in a boot-camp scenario. I see it as a boon to the community.''
Non-violent youthful offenders include those convicted of car theft, vandalism and repeated thefts.
YSI, a company organized in 1991 to rehabilitate youthful offenders, has a successful track record, said Joan Stephens, vice president of corporate relations. Of the 4,000 youths from 45 states the company has worked with, 84 are in college, and 75 to 80 percent have gone back to high school. Some have entered the military or gone into vocational programs.
``Our programs emphasize respect, accountability and discipline,'' Stephens said. ``We place a high priority on education and the world of work. We look to changing dramatically the thinking and behavior of the students we care for.''
The Walters youth boot camp will be the company's first in Virginia. Its closest similar facility is a 184-student campus at Victor Cullen Academy in Frederick County, Md.
KEYWORDS: JUVENILE CRIMINAL JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM BOOT CAMP by CNB