Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 Source: Tampa Tribune (FL) Copyright: 2002, The Tribune Co. Contact: http://www.tampatrib.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/446 Section: Nation/World, page 1 Author: Karla Jackson of the Tribune SHOCK TREATMENT The Program Gives Juvenile Offenders A Jolt Of Reality About The Consequences Of Their Bad Decisions TAMPA - Doug Parrish stood behind a lectern in the chapel at Stowers Funeral Home, facing a sea of sullen adolescent faces. Some of the boys sat and stared at him. Others sprawled across the pews, eyes closed. Parrish, a 48-year-old military veteran, has had his fill of funeral homes since the death of his son New Year's Eve. Scott Parrish, 22, was shot in the face at a convenience store in Polk County. Nevertheless, Parrish forced himself to show up Wednesday at the funeral home in Brandon. As painful as it was, he wanted to tell the boys about Scott. He wanted to tell them the difference between life and death can come down to one split-second choice in the heat of a moment. The 40 boys, in trouble for crimes ranging from petty theft to drug and alcohol possession, are part of Shock, a juvenile diversion program. Created by the 13th Judicial Circuit in 1995, Shock gives delinquent 13- to 18-year-olds a dose of reality about the consequences of poor choices. It's a less-intense version of Scared Straight, a program that sends delinquents into jails to experience firsthand the daily life of a convict. Teens can be ordered into the six-week Shock program by a judge or referred by parents, school administrators or social workers. It's primarily for first-time offenders, although judges may order juveniles with prior records to attend. Some 14 percent of Florida's first-time juvenile offenders are considered high risk for becoming chronic criminals, according to the state Department of Juvenile Justice. Shock is intended to help those kids. Last year, 136 participants completed the course. Classes are segregated by sex and meet twice a week. The teens visit the emergency room and neonatal ward at Tampa General Hospital. They tour the Drug Abuse Comprehensive Coordinating Office residential drug and alcohol treatment center. Planned Parenthood educators talk to them about sexual responsibility. The teens serve food to homeless people at Metropolitan Ministries. The neonatal unit seems to have a big impact on most kids, said Maggie Pines, a social worker who runs the classes. ``I think seeing the drug-addicted babies is a big shock for them,'' Pines said. ``They just can't believe something like that can happen.'' He Hopes They Listen The teens also visit Stowers to listen to members of the local Bereaved Parents support group talk about the deaths of their children. Parrish's voice was high and tight with emotion as he spoke to the boys about Scott. ``He was my best friend,'' Parrish said, breathing deeply in an effort to regain composure. Some boys traded uneasy glances, clearly uncomfortable with the man's raw grief. ``Every time I come here, I ask God to give me some words to say that you guys are going to hear,'' Parrish continued. ``I know none of this makes any sense to you now. But if you hear it now, maybe later it will make a difference in your life.'' Scott wasn't a troublemaker, his father said. But he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when someone else decided to use a gun. ``I always try to tell young guys like you, when you're at a bad place, doing something you know is wrong, take 10 seconds and think about what you're doing,'' Parrish said. His message seemed to reach some of the boys. ``Everything he said was true,'' said Chris Woods, 16. ``It can happen to us. It did scare me a little bit to think that.'' Alexander Allende, 17, said he understood Parrish's loss because he has had several deaths among family and friends recently. But he doubted many of the other boys connected. ``Honestly, no, they don't get it,'' said Allende, who has been in drug treatment for nearly 11 months. ``I've learned to stop and think,'' he said. ``Because I'm clean, I realize now what can happen, but I never did before.'' Regina Carswell was one of about a half-dozen parents who joined their children at the funeral home. Parents are welcome at all Shock classes except the one on sexual responsibility. ``The kids won't open up and talk if the parents are there,'' Pines said. Carswell thought the Shock program was a good thing for her 13-year-old son, Lawrence Artis, who got in trouble for taking a bicycle from school. ``I think it'll be helpful for him,'' she said. ``I just hope he learned something.'' Spending On Prevention Legislators learned a lesson about the impact of juvenile crime after a series of tourist shootings involving young suspects in 1993. Tourism fell dramatically in the aftermath, and in budget year 1994-95, the Legislature created the Department of Juvenile Justice. State spending on delinquency prevention programs increased from $40.9 million in 1994-95 to $78.4 million in 2000-01. Then the economy turned sour, and the Legislature held a special session to cut spending. The department lost 114 juvenile probation officers statewide, and caseloads jumped 10 percent. Prevention program funding was slashed. Some of the losses were restored in the department's $634 million budget for 2002-03. Seventy-five probation officer positions were added, along with an extra $1.3 million for prevention programs. Some say it wasn't enough. ``Money for diversion programs was cut, and many of those slots were never replaced,'' said Richard Dembo, a University of South Florida professor who is a juvenile-program consultant for Hillsborough County's 13th Judicial Circuit. ``Much of the money is going to residential commitment programs at the expense of prevention,'' Dembo said. Advocates of prevention say it pays off. Since the Juvenile Justice Department was formed, the number of youth in Florida has grown by 11 percent, but the number of juveniles committing serious crimes has dropped by more than 7 percent. The department funds more than 200 types of delinquency programs statewide, serving more than 75,000 juveniles. On average, fewer than 10 percent of the youngsters who complete a prevention program are referred for delinquency within six months, according to state statistics. The Shock program isn't one of those funded by the department, though. And 13th Circuit administrators only recently began to study how many graduates become repeat offenders. Pines - who has run the classes since March 2000 and whose $26,000 salary is the only major cost of the program - bets the numbers are low. ``It's not mom and dad telling them how it is,'' she said. ``They are seeing it for themselves.'' - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart