Red flags abound at state’s plan to shift juvenile offenders


By DEBORAH A. MILES Children who end up being supervised


by the state didn’t become juvenile offenders overnight. Many grew up without parents or family members to guide, nurture and love them. They need people they can learn to


trust, and who can help them turn their lives around. PEF members at the state Office of


Children and Family Services (OCFS) have dedicated themselves to restoring a sense of pride and purpose to these troubled youths. So, in early May, they spoke out at hearings in Brooklyn and Manhattan about the state’s Close To Home Initiative plan. The plan, supported by Gov. Andrew


Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion, would transfer the custody of New York City youths from OCFS to the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), which would use private providers for all services. Steve Redler, a contract management


creating life. “You watch things start from the very


beginning, a seedling growing into a small plant. As times goes along, you cultivate it and nurse it into a full- grown flower, plant or shrub. When you transfer it to the outside, you can watch it grow larger and larger, and that gives you a feeling of satisfaction,” Smith said. “Many times these guys have


struggled. As teachers and guidance counselors, we take on the role of helping them grow up. We point them in the right direction so they can have a better life when they go home,” Drake said. Sometimes that can be challenging


when you’re dealing with an inmate who doesn’t take an interest. But the philosophy at Mohawk, according to Drake and Criscolo, is consistency, example and patience. “With the right motivation from the


instructors and their peers, they come to realize if they step forward and move forward, they can actually succeed at something,” Drake said. “It may take six months to more than a year, but we don’t give up. We want each of them to have a chance to enjoy tomorrow.”


www.pef.org


specialist 2 at OCFS, told the Brooklyn panel proper staff training is paramount in working with troubled youths and that is something most private providers lack. “Staff are poorly trained in private


agencies,” Redler said. “The plan for training is very weak and turnover is very high. Their average is three years, compared to state average seniority of 12 years. OCFS staff also attend a two-week comprehensive training program, unlike staff at private agencies.” Redler also said some youths benefit


from being close to home, while others do better away from the community where they committed crimes. Currently, approximately 700 teens are


in New York’s state-operated facilities. Redler said 40 percent are already close to their homes as OCFS operates facilities in


the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Taurina Carpenter, an OCFS youth


counselor, spoke at both hearings and told the panels the governor budgeted $6 million of public funds to renovate private facilities to house many of these youths. “The whole plan doesn’t make any


sense,” Carpenter said. “That money would be better spent on programs in the communities. A lot of the problems these children have stem from their environments. Their families and other community organizations also need to be trained and educated.” PEF Vice President Pat Baker said, “This


proposal will cost the state more in this fiscal year than keeping these youths in OCFS custody. The Executive Budget indicates it will cost the state $3 million in 2012-13 to implement this poorly planned and potentially dangerous initiative.” “Moving these youths to privately


operated programs may also threaten public safety,” said PEF Region 11 Coordinator Jemma Marie-Hanson. “Since April 1, 2011, there have been 18 AWOLs (absent without leave) from OCFS facilities compared to 756 AWOLS from privately- operated facilities.” It’s likely transferring the approximately


240 New York City youths from OCFS facilities would result in the closure of some upstate and downstate OCFS facilities, and the loss of jobs for hundreds of PEF members. Although the Close to Home Initiative is


still in the planning stage, the first wave of transfers is expected to take place in September. “I work with these kids and their


families,” Carpenter said. “Their environment doesn’t have to be a part of the problem. It’s not where you come from. It’s where you end up.”


SETTINGTHE RECORD STRAIGHT —PEF activist Steve Redler tells a panel in Brooklyn why it is important to keep juvenile offenders under the care and supervision of professional staff at the state Office of Children and Family Services.Redler was joined byTaurina Carpenter,PEFVice President Pat Baker and PEF Region 11 Coordinator Jemma Marie-Hanson,who also spoke at hearings in Manhattan.


— Photo byMargaretMesser The Communicator June 2012—Page 17


RODERICK TUCKER and CHAD TOWSLEY


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