House of Refuge: Reforming Maryland's Juvenile Justice System

Synopsis

Providing a rare glimpse into the Maryland Juvenile Justice System and how it is changing and benefiting Maryland's youth.

Each year, thousands of young people who break the law, or are a danger to themselves or others, will become involved with Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services. The stated goal of the agency is to help young people develop into productive adults. Yet most young people who are sentenced to state facilities are in reality taking their first step down a road that leads not to productive adulthood, rather to a hopeless cycle of entanglement with the criminal justice system and often much worse.

The Department is helping young offenders turn their lives around, but the methods that work don’t often involve locking up kids. Early intervention programs that work with youth in their communities and with their families have some of the best track records of keeping youth out of trouble in Maryland and around the country. One such program, called Multi-Systemic Therapy or MST, did just that for 16-year-old Tyrone Langston III. When he was given probation for destruction of private property he and his family were also given a second chance. Each MST family has one therapist who works intensely with them for four months, helping parents find successful strategies to guide their at-risk offspring to more positive and productive lives. But the program isn’t just about scheduled appointments. Therapists are available to these families around the clock to assist when crisis hits. Tyrone’s father, Tyrone II, wasn’t sure that with their history of drug addiction and crime, his family could be helped. But he became convinced. ‘‘My son is much more focused,” his father said. ‘‘His grades have improved to the point where he’s passing. It has not been all gravy, but there definitely have been fewer lumps. ” The initial cost of MST is higher than most community based programming. The price tag is $8,000 for four months. But it’s far less expensive than the $45,000 it costs to incarcerate youth in state-run facilities for the six months they usually stay in custody. And when the outcomes are considered, it’s a real bargain. Studies show that incarcerated youth were three times as likely as MST kids to be rearrested within three years and they committed more serious offenses than MST youth when they were. “We've done a lot of research into what works for kids in our system, and this is the most effective," said Arleen Rogan, director of behavioral health for the Department of Juvenile Services. Maryland officials plan to provide 100 - 125 slots for MST by June. But child advocates believe at least a third of the youth currently incarcerated in Maryland could appropriately and safely be placed in Multi-Systemic Therapy. That would be more than twice the amount the state plans. "When calculated properly, the need vastly exceeds the current capacity," said Angela Conyers Johnese, Juvenile Justice Director at Advocates for Children and Youth. Kim Armstrong believes she and her youngest son Eric were among the families that desperately need such programs. In 2004, her 16-year-old son was shot to death on his mother’s porch shortly after his release from one of Maryland’s secure Juvenile facilities. “If we had support from people who would have met us where we were, helping us find solutions, Eric would have had options and he might be here today.”

This 30-minute production provides a rare glimpse of what works to keep high risk kids away from serious trouble and guide them toward a path leading to productive lives they can’t easily imagine. It’s an examination of several successful models, the communities that have changed lives with them and the failure of the system to make them available to all those who need them.

Producer for this program is Mindy Mintz. She is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience in broadcasting. After six years of award-winning television reporting in the midwest, Mindy moved to the Baltimore area to report and anchor for WBAL-TV. After earning her law degree from the University of Maryland in 1989, Mintz practiced trial law and worked in a range of public policy fields. Mintz returned to her journalistic pursuits in the mid-1990's, reporting for Maryland Public Television. Mintz has received several top honors from the Associated Press and United Press International for her television reporting, investigative and documentary work. She was selected as the top reporter in the McGraw-Hill television stations and earned the National Education Association's Learning Through Broadcasting Award. Most recently, Mintz was nominated for an Emmy Award by the Capital Region for her reporting on lead paint issues. Mintz lives in Baltimore with her two daughters and is active in public service having served on the boards of Public Justice Center , Baltimore Homeless Relief Advisory Board and East Baltimore Resources, Inc.

Budget:

$ 60,000.00

Project's Financial Needs

The funds raised for this important documentary will be used to set up the many more interviews that need to be conducted. These interviews will be politicians who are working to help Maryland's troubled youth.  As well as children that have been through the Maryland Juvenile Justice System and become a positive part of society. We will also need talented editors to create this 30 minute project in post-production.

Current stage of production

Pre-Production

Estimated Completion Date

06/01/2010