Tuesday, May 27, 1997
PD's "Contracts and Bonuses" program
keeping kids on straight and narrow
By TANYA EISERER Staff Writer
Twelve-year-old Jeremy Hines hasn't gotten in trouble with
the law, and Abilene police Youth Det. Sammy Garcia wants to keep
it that way.
That's why the two entered into two four-week contracts last
fall to keep Jeremy on the right path.
As part of the department's "Contracts and Bonuses"
program, Jeremy had to meet goals ranging from vacuuming the house
to keeping his room clean.
For each goal he reached, Jeremy earned $15 toward the purchase
of anything that he chooses.
Kelly Hines, his mother, said she believes the program rewards
positive behavior and improved Jeremy's perception of police officers.
"It's a great program because they don't get something
for nothing," she said, adding that she welcomed the entrance
of a positive male role model into Jeremy's life. "It was
good for him."
During the length of the two contracts, Garcia visited once
a week to make sure that Jeremy was keeping his part of the bargain.
"(The police department) is just offering parents a helping
hand," said Garcia, who has worked with two other children
besides Jeremy. "The program assists parents who may have
limited time to supervise some of the guidelines they've set for
their kids."
When Jeremy's second contract ended in early December, Garcia
took Jeremy to a department store and helped him spend the $120
on new Nikes and clothes. A new program
The department's youth division launched the "Contracts
and Bonuses" program in April 1996 after a group of anonymous
Canadian philanthropists approached them with the program concept
and the money to fund it.
"The agency contacts the police department they want to
have the program with, not the other way around," said Youth
Division Lt. Ken Merchant, the program director. "The process
was totally backwards."
Youth Det. Lee Reed, the program coordinator, said the agency
picks the jurisdictions that it funds based on the recommendations
of its director in the United States, an ex-police chief from
Garland.
"He knew our chief and that we have an excellent inter-agency
network dealing with youths," Reed added.
What also made the situation unusual was the fact that the
agency doesn't advertise for grant applicants like most other
groups.
"This is not a group or an agency that wanted any publicity.
They're doing this anonymously. I don't think they want anybody
approaching them for money," Merchant said. "They selected
the departments they thought were more proactive and fit into
what they're trying to do."
Merchant said they were wary of the group's proposal at first.
"We get approached by people all the time with things
that seem too good to be true," he said. "We were skeptical
until they showed us where it had worked before and we contacted
some of them."
Variations of the program have been implemented in Dallas,
Irving and Arlington, Merchant added.
"In the Metroplex, there were so many juveniles that the
juvenile system was saturated," he said. "They used
it as an alternative to filing charges."
Here in Abilene, the juvenile probation system is able to handle
its caseload without such an alternative, he said.
"Our need here in Abilene was for the kids who had not
yet gotten into trouble, but needed some assistance," Merchant
said.
Merchant said the department signed a five-year contract with
the group, which required that their identify remain a secret.
nder the contract, the department can spend up to $110,000
- or $22,000 a year - for the program.
"We haven't spent as much money as we can because it takes
a lot of time," Merchant said, noting that a youth division
detective works one-on-one with the juvenile and the family. "Time
is the one drawback. You've got to do a lot of followup."
For the first three years, the anonymous group pays all of
the bonuses and 75 percent of the department's administrative
costs including salary.
"The group didn't want us running the program at our own
expense" for the first few years, he explained.
In the fourth year, the group pays all of the bonuses, but
none of the administrative fees. They pay only 50 percent of the
bonuses for the fifth year.
"As the years go on, we have to assume more financial
responsibility for the program," Merchant said. "You'd
hope by the fourth year that the program would be standard procedure.
The real problem will be finding funding for the bonuses."
The contracts
The department has interviewed 285 juveniles as possible candidates
for the program, but has only completed contracts with 24 youths,
and paid out $2,200 in bonuses to date, Merchant said.
"Most of the kids come from our contacts. They're either
a victim or a witness or sometimes a suspect in a case,"
Merchant said. "Some of them turn it down because they don't
want to have any more dealings with the police than they absolutely
have to."
Of the juveniles that the department has interviewed but did
not contract with, 87 percent were arrested later on, Merchant
said.
Only nine percent of the juveniles the department contracted
with have been arrested afterwards, he added.
Though the numbers are still too small to draw any conclusions,
Merchant said he believes the program is having a positive effect.
"We try to focus on kids where it will make the most impact,"
he added. "Typically, that is kids who are economically disadvantaged.
We identify a child who is in need of some extra supervision or
extra counseling that will keep them out of the juvenile justice
system. This will not work without the parent's cooperation."
Reed said unlike other programs, this one doesn't wait until
the juvenile ends up in the juvenile justice system.
"We're working with kids who may or may not have the potential
to get in trouble with the law," Reed said. "A lot of
the programs don't kick in until the kid gets in trouble. That's
somewhat of a negative reward.
"If they're too far gone, it won't do any good. These
are kids who are more or less good, but they're starting to show
some behaviors that aren't good. This program helps get them on
track again."
The contracts are written specifically for each youth with
the goals focusing on wherever the child needs help.
Each contract can have a maximum of five goals with each completed
step being worth $15. Each child can have two contracts worth
a maximum of $150.
'They've got to do them in order and the steps build on each
other," Merchant said. "Most of the steps last for a
week or two. The idea is that with an extended period of time,
it will become a habit. Some of the goals would appear to be minor
to some folks, but it's a start. They've very basic behavior things.
But if they get arrested the contract is over."
Once the juveniles complete the program, Merchant said they
are given their bonuses in the form of something like clothes
or toys.
"Some of the cities actually give out cash," Merchant
said. "We didn't do that because you don't have any control
of how that money is spent. You'd hate to think that they took
that $150 and went out and bought drugs or a gun."
Merchant said people would be surprised by what the youths
purchased with their bonus money.
"You would think most would be working for toys or playthings,
but the majority of the money we paid out has gone to school clothes,"
he said.
Besides the money the juveniles earn, the program gives both
them and the officers a chance to interact in a positive setting.
"Any of these programs that make young people see the
police in a different light are extremely good for both the young
people and for the officer involved," Merchant said. A messy
room
As for Jeremy Hines, his mother says his room has gone back
to its typical state of untidyness since the program ended.
"Old habits do die hard," Kelly Hines said.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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