The letters "DJJ" beam off the backs of the uniforms of most boys who mill around behind the barbed-wire fences of Birchwood High School, a juvenile prison run by the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).  But, amidst the sea of state-issued uniforms, about 90 camouflage-clad young offenders stand out.  They are set apart from their peers not only by the way they are dressed, but also by the unique training they receive everyday as members of the Army Junior ROTC program.

"It's kind of hard to put in words what we do for these kids and what these kids get out of this program," said Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Terry L. Wilkins.  "The mission [of the Junior ROTC program] is to make these young people better citizens by making them aware of their responsibilities as citizens." 

Birchwood's Junior ROTC program is similar to those that exist at other high schools throughout the United States with one exception: it is the only ROTC program in the country operating at a correctional facility.  When the Army granted Birchwood permission to start its ROTC program, it didn't realize that the school was also a juvenile prison.  Nonetheless, the program has flourished there for over a decade.

"We were looking for some more 'normal' opportunities for kids," said Meda Cobb, Superintendent of Education for the S.C. DJJ.  "There were not a lot of productive activities going on outside the school day."

So, DJJ officials turned to the Army.  By creating a Junior ROTC program at Birchwood, they hoped to provide juveniles with constructive activities to occupy their after-school hours and weekends.

"[The Army] didn't realize what we were when they got the application," Cobb said.  "[But], they decided to go ahead and try it."

Ten years later, Birchwood's Junior ROTC program is still going strong, with the Army's full support.

"There's Army involvement," Cobb said.  "They come down, examine the program and give us extremely high marks on all of our [procedures]," she added.  "We have yet to have a group come in that has not been very impressed."

Igniting Change in Young Men

Army personnel aren't the only ones who are pleased with Birchwood's Junior ROTC program.  Teachers, too, marvel over the impact the program has had on their students.

When Cobb was principal of Birchwood High School, she remembers some well-known troublemakers who transformed into respectful students through their involvement with Junior ROTC. 

"I just almost fainted when [these kids] walked up [in their uniforms]," Cobb said.  "They were kids that I had worked with that were getting sent out of class [all the time]."

For these kids, Junior ROTC really made a difference, Cobb explained.  Their behavior changed significantly as a result of the program, she said.

"They're really crying out for some structure," Cobb said about many of the juveniles who come from homes where they received little or no structure.  "ROTC is something they fit right into," she added.  "They just buckle down and rise to the occasion."

Wilkins, one of Birchwood's three ROTC instructors, has had similar experiences with kids whose attitudes and actions have changed after they joined the program.  One student who stands out in Wilkins' mind caused a lot of trouble at Birchwood, until he was set on the right track by the Junior ROTC program.

"We put him in a leadership position," Wilkins said.  "It seemed like overnight he just changed."

Teaching juveniles, like Wilkins' student, how to succeed in leadership roles is a major goal of the Army Junior ROTC program.  This objective is achieved through both classroom and field education.

Perks of the Program

In addition to the typical classes that juveniles take at Birchwood High School, like math and English, those in the Junior ROTC program also take a leadership course during which the boys learn about American military history, First Aid, geography, map reading and physical fitness.

"The mission is to provide [the juveniles] with classes that will help them become better citizens," Wilkins said.

Young offenders who are not part of ROTC can also take this course, but, unlike the rest of the juveniles who belong to the program, they don't wear ROTC uniforms, participate in the after-school field activities or live in one of the three ROTC dorms, which are huge selling points for the program.

"Kids love to get into the program because it's a positive environment in the dorms," said Wilkins, noting that many kids are waiting for space to open up there so they can become part of ROTC.  When slots become available in the dorms, he pointed out, they try to fill them with the juveniles who are taking the classroom ROTC course as an elective.  Those young offenders will then have an opportunity to hone the leadership skills they develop in the classroom through field training that takes place after-school and on weekends.

"[In the field], they apply what we teach them in class," Wilkins said.  "They have formations, they drill and they march."

On weekends, Wilkins explained, ROTC participants gather for ceremonies, drill meets and an occasional formal dinner, often with the girls who are part of the ROTC program at the Greenwood Center, a secure facility for juvenile female offenders.

According to Cobb, giving these young offenders something positive to do during their time away from the classroom is extremely important. 

"They are not free to just walk out and go to a movie.  They are limited," Cobb said.  "If they don't have an activity to do, they're going to find something to do [that is not productive]."

Building Foundations for Better Lives

Those juveniles who are in the Junior ROTC program, however, don't have to search for things to do during their downtime.  Because they are part of ROTC, they are involved in many activities that will hopefully provide them with some enrichment and help them to succeed in the future.

"The program gives them something that's positive to do that might be a learning experience and something they might be able to do later [in life]," Cobb said.  "[Juveniles in the ROTC program] have a lot more confidence and interest in setting goals," she added.  "They can tell you what they want to do."

Some of the aspirations these kids have for the future include joining Junior ROTC programs at the high schools they will return to after they are released from incarceration, joining the Army and going to college.

"We give them letters of recommendation and we try to get them into Junior ROTC programs when they get back to their communities," Wilkins said.  "[Sometimes], we assist them in trying to get into the military."

But, even if the [juveniles] don't join another Junior ROTC program or the Army when they leave Birchwood, the kids who participate in the program while they are there are better off for it, according to Wilkins.

"We're doing something good here," Wilkins said.  "We're turning lives around."

Resources:

To learn more about the United States Army Junior ROTC program, go to https://gateway.usarmyjrotc.com/http://portal.usarmyjrotc.com/jrotc/dt

To learn more about the Junior ROTC Program at Birchwood High School, contact the S.C. DJJ at (803) 896-9518