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For those looking to enter the field of juvenile corrections, I would like you to remember one thing: These are KIDS. Usually, between 10 and 18 years old. Not just "pot heads," "taggers," and "gang bangers;" they are kids. It becomes easy to sort them into categories; to place simple, concise labels in front of their names. But just remember that the delinquent you see today may have just yesterday been sitting in his 9th grade Chemistry class, no more "delinquent" than the student next to him. He may have made one mistake, had one lapse in judgment, one "oops." Or, maybe he has made 100 mistakes, one hit after another, one theft after another, and he just doesn't know how to stop. And all too often, the child does not have anything resembling a supportive family, and has been all but doomed from the start.

I am a probation officer. I have worked with the whole spectrum. This is how I have to categorize the kids I work with, on a spectrum. I have to place them somewhere between "just getting into it" and "hopelessly far gone." And I do admit, there are some kids who are just too far gone for me. My job is not to save them all; it is to guide them, watch them, and minimize the mistakes they make in the future, all while making sure they pay for the mistakes they've already made.

Some kids are scared and need a little hand-holding. Others (many) have been given too many excuses already and need a healthy dose of discipline, mixed with some good old accountability. Their parents have either failed to provide this structure, or have tried with no success. Some have been trying for so long, they push themselves to mental illness. Others get so fed up, they simply walk away. These are suffering families, who are tortured by their child's actions, but see no way out other than to give up.

It takes a great deal of focus and some superior listening skills to truly read these kids and their families and figure out what they really need. Will some community service impress upon them the seriousness of what they've done? Or, are they so out of control that they are endangering themselves or others and need to be committed to a Juvenile Facility? This is what we are charged with, those of us working in this field, and it is an intimidating task. The responsibility is enormous and our decisions directly affect many people's lives. But, with some patience and genuine commitment to the task, true influence and change is possible. I myself am still working on it.

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