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Juvenile correctional educators are key to academic achievement, low recidivism
Posted: 5/14/2010 2:02:12 PM
Michael Senn, a teacher at Redgranite Correctional Institute and president of WEAC Council #1, and WEAC President Mary Bell talk of the importance of education at juvenile correctional facilities on Friday before the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Review Committee.
UPDATE: A committee appointed by Governor Jim Doyle to make recommendations on juvenile correctional facilities did not come to an agreement June 21 whether to close a facility. A vote to close the Ethan Allen facility did not get the votes needed to make a recommendation to Doyle.
The teachers and staff who work at juvenile correctional facilities across the state help young people get back on track with their learning careers and help keep them out of trouble in the future, educators said Friday (May 14).
Appearing before the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Review Committee, educators said the services available at facilities such as at the Lincoln Hills and Ethan Allen schools – facilities that serve young men – are crucial to creating a safe environment in which incarcerated youth can learn. The more than 50 school staff – including teachers, vocational instructors, special education teachers, guidance counselors, librarians and other professionals – at both schools are key to high academic achievement and low recidivism rates at juvenile correctional facilities, said Michael Senn, now a teacher at Redgranite Correctional Institute and previously a teacher at the Lincoln Hills School for 18 years.
“Staff gradually work with kids to develop positive peer interactions,” Senn said. “Youth learn how to choose positive friends and who to stay away from. Gradually they build the trust and comfort necessary to open their minds to learning. This trust is fostered by teachers and other staff who make them feel good about their achievements – both in and out of the classroom.”
Senn, who is president of WEAC’s State Professional Education and Information Council (Council #1), added that education at facilities such as Lincoln Hills and Ethan Allen offer a wide range of services needed by the students. About 40 percent of the facilities’ population has special education needs, compared to about 13 percent of students statewide. They require individual assessment to track where they are on grade-level learning. They need the support of family and community members once they are released. Resources are critical to helping incarcerated youth and keeping them out of correctional facilities in the future.
“Funding issues in our juvenile justice system cannot be solved by budget cuts and cost reductions. We’ve tried that,” Senn said. “ Over the last several years, the Department of Corrections has made well-documented reductions in both personnel and programs at our juvenile correctional institutions. The problem we face today is more fundamental. We need to consider how Wisconsin will finance juvenile corrections.”
Senn said staff at juvenile correctional facilities are seeing results. In 2008, Ethan Allen and Lincoln Hills awarded 118 high school equivalency diplomas, with youth earning more than 1,800 high school credits. Additionally, among male juveniles, Wisconsin’s two-year recidivism rate was 14.5 percent in 2003 – one of the lowest rates in the country.
Supporting juvenile correctional facilities is a chief concern for WEAC members. Delegates to the union of educators’ recent 2010 Representative Assembly overwhelmingly voted to “oppose the closure of the Ethan Allen School and Lincoln Hills School” and “advocate for a fair review process for the Ethan Allen and Lincoln Hills schools.”
“These are our state’s only state-run juvenile correctional facilities for delinquent boys, a last resort,” WEAC President Mary Bell said. “Counseling, foster care and other alternative programs are not able to help all juveniles. These facilities represent the best place for these youth to get the treatment they need, the education they require, and the care and attention they must have in order to help them, and keep the community safe. Keeping these options open and accessible ensures that a full array of effective interventions is available, when needed.”
Bell said that the dedicated educators at juvenile correctional facilities are committed to providing positive outcomes for communities and to providing a service to the state that pays off in the long run.
“It can’t be denied. Our juvenile correctional facilities deliver results with increased academic achievement and low recidivism rates. At both Ethan Allen and Lincoln Hills, youth show significant gains in reading and math with an improvement in grade level from the time of admission until they leave. Education is nothing less than a key component in realizing success,” Bell said. “The work the professionals do with youth in these facilities is inspiring. It can’t be disputed that these programs, as they currently operate, are doing what they should and having the desired outcomes.”