NCJ Number
207865
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 52 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 154-157
Editor(s)
Ed Sanow
Date Published
October 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article presents an overview of the Circle of Courage treatment program tailored and instituted at the Miami Valley Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in Xenia, OH.
Abstract
In search of an innovative model program to address the mental health issues of youth in a community corrections facility, the Miami Valley Juvenile Rehabilitation Center (MVJRC) in Xenia, OH, adopted the treatment program, Circle of Courage based on a Native American childrearing model. The program was tailored to meet the unique needs of juvenile offenders in a correctional setting. MVJRC is a lockdown facility for non-dangerous, non-serious juvenile felony level offenders. Since November 2000, MVJRC has accepted 177 young male and female felons with 173 successfully completing the program. The treatment is designed to meet the behavioral, educational, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of the youth, stressing the importance of home support. It takes an average of 5 months to graduate and return home from the program. A major element of the program requires that all youth demonstrate and document in their journey book successes in displaying positive behaviors that reflect social expectations, such as remaining on task, behaving honestly at all times, and being responsible for their feelings and actions. MVJRC’s success rate appears to be a little above average, about 75 percent. The success of the program lies in the young offenders learning to open their minds and taking responsibility for their actions.