It’s back to school time and Multnomah County juvenile probation officers are making sure that youth in trouble with the law make it back to class, stay out of trouble and succeed.
On Monday, August 30, the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) sponsored Back to School Night for approximately 50 youth who are on juvenile probation and their parents. As many as 60% of the participating youth have had previous involvement with local gangs but are now embracing school for a brighter future.
The goals of the night were to get at-risk youth excited about returning to school and give them the support they need to keep attending. Research shows that a youth’s success in school is a key predictor to success on probation and avoiding future criminal activity.
For parents, DCJ aims to create a safe and secure environment where they can ask questions and obtain the information they need to navigate a complex school system. During the evening, representatives from at least six school districts, school-based health clinics and special education programs made presentations and provided individual one-on-one sessions with parents.
Juvenile probation officers (formally known as court counselors) were also on hand to distribute school supplies and serve pizza to families. While the court counselors want the youth to have fun, they also know that youth and parents have serious questions about school. “Many of our youth have missed out on school and have fallen behind. They want to know where they stand and what they need to do to graduate, and their parents want information on how to help them,“ explains Rob Halverson, DCJ Community Justice Manager.