New Beginning?

Colbert King checks in on D.C.’s juvenile detention system.   He’s obviously right that it’s a misaligned mess and there is still a long way to go there.  But there are also some green shoots that offer learning and optimism.

In particular the New Beginnings program at the former Oak Hill facility demonstrates that you can treat youth offenders with respect, provide serious educational services, and improve outcomes. It’s hard to describe how night and day it is with the facility it replaced.  But it costs money and takes effort and too often these programs are an afterthought – especially in lean fiscal times.

2 Replies to “New Beginning?”

  1. One of the most discouraging aspects of teaching community college is that the–I can’t even think of the current politically correct term, but the students who are disruptive and immature–are so intractable. Maybe what it takes is changing their entire environment. If so, I hope the program described here works.

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