CONNECTING AT CHRISTMAS
Office of Juvenile Affairs works to make holidays less tough for young people in state custody
teenage girl let out an excited yelp as she ripped through the wrapping paper of a gift she was handed just moments ago. Inside was a bottle of scented body wash that she hugged to her chest before holding it above her head to show off to those around her.
The present was being passed out by volunteers with the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs’ Santa Claus Commission, a gift program for youth in the agency’s care.
Along with a Christmas tree in the corner of the room and some tinsel strung along a wall, the simple present provided a sign of the holiday season for the 16 girls who are spending the holidays inside a state-run group home for juvenile offenders.
“We try to make this a home away
MORE TO KNOW The youth who enter Office of Juvenile Affairs facilities often come from challenging situations at home, which is why the agency has put a focus on education and counseling in an effort to help reduce the cycle of incarceration many youth are facing.
BY BEN FELDER
Staff Writer | bfelder@oklahoman.com
A • Sixty percent of youth in the agency’s care have had previous involvement with the Department of Human Services. • At least 38 percent have a parent receiving services for substance abuse. • 10 percent came from families with biological mother and father.
SEE CONNECT, 2A
SOURCE: ABOVE: Sandy Humphrey hands out Christmas stockings Thursday to girls at an Office of Juvenile Affairs treatment facility in Mustang. OKLAHOMA OFFICE OF
JUVENILE AFFAIRS
[PHOTO BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN]
from home,” said Corey Raney, a director at the Mustang Treatment Center, a group home for teenage girls operated by the agency.
“But this isn’t home, and even though that could be a good thing considering the home environment for many of these girls, it’s still tough around the holidays.”
For the teenage boys and girls confined to one of the agency’s group homes, detention centers or its most secure facilities, the lack of family connections during the winter holiday season can be one of the most challenging aspects of life in state custody.
This past Thanksgiving, most of the agency’s 16-bed group home facilities saw just one or two family visits, according to agency staff. At the more secure facilities where dozens of juvenile offenders are held, just a few of them received a phone call or visit.
“That’s a tough day,” Robert Cornelius, executive director of the Mustang girls facility, said about Thanksgiving.
Executive Director Steve Buck, who took the helm of the agency in February, said his focus is on making sure each facility uses education, counseling, health care and other tools to give teenagers a chance to avoid a future of incarceration.
“We need to do everything we possibly can to give the tools they need to succeed in the community because they are going to be coming back,” Buck said.
Positive interactions with adults are a growing focus for the agency, which sees just 10 percent of its youth come from homes where both biological parents reside, according to agency statistics.
“That family dynamic matters,” Buck said. “But even if it’s not parents, having a positive adult in their life can make a big difference.”
Tierney Tinnin — deputy director of communications, policy and performance management — joined the agency this year after serving as the communications and community relations officer for Oklahoma City Public Schools.
She said part of her work is helping to fulfill Buck’s vision for increasing the opportunity for meaningful relationships between youth and adults.
“At the (school) district we were always looking for community partnerships and volunteers, but that takes time and training, and we are going through that now,” Tinnin said. “We have these popcorn opportunities for volunteering and helping, but we are looking to establish some more meaningful programs and opportunities.”
Tinnin said the process includes meetings with facility staff to determine the most important needs. The agency is also working to identify community partners that include nonprofits or churches.
While the agency seeks to establish new programs and partnerships, it continues the work of the Santa Claus Commission, a program that first launched in 1937.
Volunteers with the program handed out gifts last week at the Mustang facility and other group homes across the state.
“These girls are in school and going through counseling, but these moments are very special,” Cornelius said. “Showing them someone on the outside cares about them goes a long way.” Darrell Wilborn hands out Christmas stockings Thursday to girls at an Office of Juvenile Affairs treatment facility in Mustang.
[PHOTO BY STEVE GOOCH, THE OKLAHOMAN]
Positive relationships
CONTINUED FROM 1A