1— prevention Thank you's for doing things and not doing things bounce back and Another arm of the corrections emphasis is the Achievement Home where the delinquent boys are given what Ruth Knight calls “a last chance.” forth, in turn, They talk about accepting criticism and authority, following directions, and are able to discuss freely what they would like to have done. . . but didn't. This open communication, the Clines later told me, is one of the Any fears that might have surfaced on the 12-mile drive from the college campus to the WSC Achievement Home in Hooper are put to test within a few seconds after ar- iving. Almost before the car comes toa final stop in the driveway, an enthusiastic young man with curly blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a as part The young man, whom we.will : _} call Rick (not his real name), is one t get in trou-} of four juvenile delinquents who +--* #4 _ The Clines have been hired as for personal) directors of the home by the college ey," he said.) in a program funded by the Utah = you are “4 Department of Social Services and someone Of} administered by the WSC Departit all." ment of Community Service, headed over the — J by Ruth Knight. r. Michael ly with the } al “We try to provide a pe 2 al sound, closely supervised super job some doors} ent," he family unit for the boys Who have not responded to restrictive environments.” Pe ioe oa Ms. Knight, who accompanies me, is warmly greeted by Rick and three IN other clean cut young men who seem to emerge from nowhere. She calls each one by name and they ex- those change the “how are you's’ of old at aii both positive and negative feelings. _ down to the basement to what he calls “our quarters.” Our first stop is in the small counseling room, where doin ons res Rick opens a desk drawer and pulls out the charts which harbor his ; i failure MKS} correc- } 4 record of achievement and since coming to the home several months ago. and confrontation, negative points to be recorded. — “I lost 800 points today because of something that happened at school,” he says matter-of-factly, pointing to his chart. “But I'll make it up,” he continues, looking at me directly as if to catch my reaction to his.confidence. Then he leads me into the bedrooms which are set up to accommodate five boys, with private bunk beds, closets and shelves for personal possessions. He chatters on about having to get up at 6:30 a.m. and “lights out" at 10:30 p.m., and the rules of living, as he leads me out of the basement door to the large back yard. He shows me into the large garage-converted house where WSC college law enforce-. ment students stay with the boys who don't go home for the weekends. There is a punching bag, pool table, a work bench, complete with all kinds of tools for building, and a large wooden box filled with balls and games of every description. WSC students stay with ine We 7 8 identify io } thi “And this is the point card,” he smiles, handing me a large yellow paper with a list of 30 or more social skills such as honesty, follow- ae Rick leads me hurridly into the house, ushers me up the first short flight of steps for introductions to the rest of the family, and then oe he ee how to communicate with columns for positive or nity to J mara Cline and their two daughters, ople while } ages two and four. S$ §00@ and Bill Cline spend an hour every evening with the boys and their daughters in a family conference. The boys learn ing directions, were allowed to come here by the weekends J} court in a “last chance" effort before ver, on the 4 sending them to a youth prison. she is glad} they live here with Bill and Tam- oe kids don't know how to communicate their hostilities except in negative ways and then they get into trouble," Bill explained. ahigh basement foundation, and set on a lot of several acres. But ifs in-habitants are definitely atypical. > keys to helping the boys. “These © Tammara grin as broad as his face, bounds from the front step and runs to open my car door and invite me in. The home looks like any other in ‘| the neighborhood, sturdy brick with and across the cozy room, and when they are through, they begin reciting their personal goals and what they are doing to accomplish them. the boys on weekends to give the Clines some time off, and for the “corrections” experience Back in the kitchen with the rest - of the “family” the boys help “Mrs. Cline" set the long table, and mash the two huge bowls of potatoes to : be served -with the savory smelling meat loaf and bowl piled high with rich and creamy fruit salad. The meal is pleasant, with the chatter of the day’s activity, and the admission by Rick that he lost 800 points because of his problem at school. “This is sure a good dinner, Mrs. Cline," is frequent in the conversation, and as the meal is completed, each boy resumes his assigned task, and within minutes the table is clear and the dishwasher loaded, with no help accepted from the “guests.” “It is easier to be objective in handling somebody elses children than your own.” The home is modeled after “Boy’s Town.” -Over-correct, then provide opportunities for their success. He said their program, based on _the one used at “Boys Town," has. five specific goal areas for all the boys. These goals are to teach them | to (1) accept authority; (2) follow directions; (3) accept criticism; (4) develop good study patterns; and (5) give and accept feedback, or to com- . “municate effectively. “And if we can hang on to them long enough, we feel we can make a difference in their lives,” Tammara said. “We over-correct at first, but constantly provide opportunities for them to be successful.” "For the first time, some of these kids are getting a lot of help, interest and We all gather in the living room, the boys bringing bean bag chairs and huge pillows from the corners, to lean against the chairs or sofa for caring attention,” she add- ed.. Three departments on campus are involved in helping supplement the Clines’ help and attention. Besides the nightly “family conference." faculty and students from correc- It is Bill Cline’s turn to conduct tonight, but he explains that everyone takes a turn leading the discussions of activities of the day, how each boy handled difficult situations, how they should have handled them, or the feelings of triumph if they succeeded in some way over previous behavior. tions and law enforcement, the departments of social work and child and family studies are involv- All of the boys attend public school, and are monitored closely by teachers, school bus drivers, and the Clines. Because as Bill says, “most of the boys have extremely low selfesteem," the first order of business in the “family conference” is for everyone to say something nice about everyone else. ed with week-end parenting, serving on advisory committees and sitting in on counseling sessions. Note: To fill in on how successful the program is, Ms. Knight informed me today of the progress of the four boys I visited several months ago: "Rick" is now living with a neighbor and reportedly doing very well; another boy is in the National Guard and calls the Clines weekly; one boy has been returned to his parents; and the other boy is still with the Clines, helping the new boys learn to conform to the rules of the home. _ Page 3