In April, Karl Johnson's probation caseload got a little bit lighter; two of his juveniles were killed and another was implicated in one of the murders.  Losing kids to gang violence or the court system is one of the toughest parts of his job as a Juvenile Court Counselor (JCC), he said.

But, despite the challenges of working for the Gang Resource Intervention Team (G.R.I.T.) of the Multnomah County, Ore. Department of Community Justice, Johnson said that his job is rewarding, especially when he is able to help gang-involved juveniles change their lives.

"We try to plant some kind of seed so it will grow in these young people," said Johnson, who talks to his clients about the realities of gang life and the choices they have beyond belonging to gangs.  "We try to make some kind of impact."

Juveniles in Multnomah County who are on probation and have ties to gangs are supervised by one of five G.R.I.T. Juvenile Court Counselors.  Currently, there are about 145 kids, ages 12-18, on the G.R.I.T caseload.

"They don't know it any different than being on [regular] probation," said Kate Desmond, Program Manager for both the adult and juvenile gang units in the county. 

But, in reality, these juveniles receive more intensive supervision than other young probationers and additional support to help them break free from the gang lifestyle.

"[We want them to realize] you don't have to be in a gang to be popular.  You don't have to be in a gang to be noticed," said Johnson.  "There are other things going on."

Other Activities

To introduce these gang-involved juveniles and other at-risk youth to activities in the community that are not gang or crime related, each year, the county runs a program that lets the kids have new, fun experiences.  The Spring Break/Summer Activities Program gives these juveniles something to do during school vacations, a time when violence and crime tend to increase, Johnson said.

"[We do] just about anything that we hope the kids would like to go and have fun with," said Johnson.

In the past, program activities have included bowling, horseback riding, fishing and inner-tubing.  The kids have enjoyed all of those activities, Johnson said.

"You get them out on the fishing boat and, once they pull that fish out of the water, their eyes light up.  You put them on an inner-tube and slide them down a 30-foot slide and they love it.  They have a good time doing things like that," Johnson said.  "You get them outside of a few city blocks and they get to see what is going on [in the community]."

Desmond said providing these juveniles with things to do in their spare time is necessary to help them leave gang life behind.

"You have to replace the gang lifestyle with something else, so that's what we're trying to do," she said.

In addition to the juveniles who are on probation, their siblings are welcome to participate in the activity program, too. 

"You don't have to get on probation to do all of these fun things," Johnson said.  "We try to work with the whole family."

But family members are not only included in the spring and summer activity program.  They are an integral part of the juveniles' entire probation plans, which they design themselves.

"[Our] focus is getting them back on track and having them buy into their programs," Desmond said.  "[We] have them write up their probation plan and what it should be."

According to Johnson, probation plans are different for each juvenile and are based on a client's individual needs.  One issue is universally important for all of the kids, however: getting them back into school.

The Right Track

"You really have to go to the schools and advocate for them," said Johnson, who sees his clients at least twice a week, both in his office and at their homes.  "Some schools may not want to deal with [these] kids," he added.  "We try to find out what are the kids educational needs and what schools fit the kids the best."

Aside from identifying the appropriate schools for the juveniles, the JCCs also connect them with the services they need in the community, like substance abuse treatment, family counseling or culturally-specific programs.

According to Desmond, family counseling is intensive and takes place right in the home, so both parents and siblings can benefit from the therapy as well.

"The family therapy actually has an impact on the whole family," said Desmond, pointing out that this type of counseling can help to prevent an offender's younger siblings from ever becoming involved in the court system.

Also, it opens up some parents' eyes, she said.

"[We] tell them about gang activity, what it means when the kids have on certain color shoes, shoe strings, belts [and] bandanas," Desmond said.  "A lot of the parents know about gang activity, but they don't think it's their kids."

For the juveniles specifically, G.R.I.T. offers culturally-specific groups that they can attend, which are run by people from the community who the offenders can identify with, but are not in an authoritative position, like the JCCs are.  With these groups, the juveniles engage in activities like going out to eat or to the movies.

"[These groups] try to connect the [juvenile] back to positive things going on in the community," Johnson said.

Aside from the culturally specific groups, some gang-involved juveniles on probation in Multnomah County are also linked to mentors, who help reinforce positive behaviors.

In addition ro counseling and various groups, other services are available to these kids as well, depending on what their needs are.

"We want to try to come up with the best plan for the kid," said Johnson.

And with that plan in place, G.R.I.T. hopes to introduce the juveniles to a new way of life, and with the support of their families, help them break free from gangs.

Resources:

Desmond (503) 988-5636

Johnson (503) 803-0307