When young people report for the intake/assessment process at Juvenile Services (JS), Laura Mason is one of the first people they will see.
And there is a good chance Mason will interact with them again if community service is ordered by the judicial system.
As community case manager, Mason’s responsibilities are varied but she spends a lot of time organizing JS clients who participate in projects that support non-profit agencies and other entities.
From July through December last year, Mason scheduled approximately 300 hours of community service. A minimum of five hours is required in lieu of a fine; the number of young people varies quite a bit but up to 50 can be involved at any one time.
“Finding ways to pair juveniles with projects can be a logistical challenge,” Mason said. “We want to ensure they meet their other obligations too. This entails working around school, jobs and sports; I try to capitalize on days they are not in school.”
Mason acknowledged that many juveniles come into community service with a less-than-cheery attitude.
“Many are resentful they are here in the first place,” she commented. “However, I am glad to say that 50 to 75 percent of them improve their attitudes along the way.
“Nevertheless, if a client remains uncooperative, more community-service hours may be tacked on and/or the fine is assessed.”
Examples of recent and current projects include: zoo and park cleaning; clearing ditches of debris; and scanning documents for electronic records at the Barton County Appraiser’s Office.
JS clients also participated in the Trail of Lights project and the Track and Treat Halloween event at Great Bend High School.
A fairly regular destination is the Golden Belt Humane Society, which recently received 150 doggy toys hand-crafted by clients.
“At the humane society and other sites, the youth learn quite a number of skills,” Mason noted. “These skills not only help during the community-service project but also in other areas of their lives.”
Skills include active listening, attention to detail, communication, compassion, patience, teamwork, time management, problem-solving and the importance of a good work ethic.
“Using the humane society again as an example,” Mason added, “tasks include animal care, laundry and many cleaning chores inside and outside.”
Three programs
Marissa Woodmansee, JS director, outlined the programs that can lead to supervised community service.
• Truancy Diversion entails 90 days.
• Immediate Intervention, also 90 days, focuses on youth with infractions such as alcohol and/or tobacco use, or fighting or bullying.
• Juvenile Intensive Probation lasts at least six months. This program is for higher-risk violent and non-violent offenders.
“By having one person oversee our community-service efforts, we can ensure the work is being done,” Woodmansee commented. “Laura Mason is a perfect fit for this position.
“Like the rest of us at Juvenile Services, Laura wants to support young people as they learn new skills and take pride in the work they do for their community. We do all we can to support youth and their families.”
20th Judicial District Juvenile Services empowers youth in Barton, Rice, Ellsworth, Stafford and Russell counties to achieve positive outcomes by offering Juvenile Intake & Assessment, Immediate Intervention, Intensive Supervised Probation, Case Management, Journey to Change, Life Skills, All Stars and Youth Crew. Parents and guardians also are offered The Parent Project. Visit 1800 12th in Great Bend or call 620-793-1930.
