OJJDP Family Listening Sessions: Executive Summary - Office of ...

Participant G’s Experiences With the System
First involvement with the system
The youth’s mother said her son was 13 years old the first time he went into the system—2 years
ago. He recently got into trouble again and is still on probation. She told the circle that she is a
single parent with four daughters in addition to her son, and admitted that she is a recovering
alcoholic 30 days sober. She tries to talk to her son about her lessons learned because she has
also been locked up in federal prison. The youth’s mother said she was released from prison only
recently for a family emergency—when her mother died from a heart attack 4 months prior. She
said she feels guilty for not being there for her son while she was in prison and that is one of the
reasons she is grateful for being chosen to participate in the listening session with her son.
What was the most helpful What was the least helpful
The youth said that many people cared about him, but he rejected their support, which made him
feel bad later. The counselor he saw while on probation was helpful and his grandmother was
also supportive. After he was released from jail, he could not see his grandmother because she
was in the hospital. “Now I want to follow her advice,” he said.
Were you included in decisions in programs/support for your child Were your opinions
heard and respected
The youth’s mother said that it was not possible for her to be included as she was in treatment
when her son was sent to detention for 6 months. Because the detention center was 3 hours away,
his grandmother and sisters took turns visiting him once a month. For the first visit, her family
travelled 3 hours for a restricted visit of 1 hour. For the second visit, they were allowed 2 hours
with him. Her son wants to be placed in a treatment center for help and wants an opportunity to
continue his education. “I want to make it happen for him if at all possible,” she said.
Listening Session Outcome Themes
Although the individual details were unique, consistent themes emerged during the session,
including the following:
• Overall, family members felt there was or should be reliance on family for support instead of
government or community-based programs. Some families believed it was their
responsibility, and others felt responsible because of a lack of support from the system.
• Truancy is a symptom of a greater systemic problem:
o A result of being targeted or bullied in school—an issue the education system currently
does not address.
o Prevention programs would keep youth from being truant rather than intervening after
they enter the system.
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