PEP Update 2010
"For I was in prison and you visited me; I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
In February of 2009, NMCC received a grant from the Thaxton Endowment Fund for the purpose of providing mentors to paroled youth in New Mexico so that they would succeed in re-directing their lives and not remain in the juvenile or criminal justice systems. We are happy to report on this year for Parole Empowerment Partners (PEP).
The young man pictured below has completed his parole and has moved away from the Albuquerque community. One of his mentors, a middle-aged woman, continues to hear from him on a regular basis. She passes on news to his other two mentors and his PEP Case Manager. Although he struggles to achieve new directions in his life, his success comes in the context of having been institutionalized for five years of his young life.
While in the PEP program, he served on a panel for orienting volunteers, spoke to the NMCC Board, made a recruiting trip to Taos (El Pueblito UMC), and visited the State Legislature to speak in favor of a bill that would fund programs for youth mentoring.
He is pictured here visiting with Lieutenant Governor Diane D. Denish at the Roundhouse in March of 2009 during the session.
At one training event, he said to the PEP staff and volunteers, "You need to start working with youth a long time before they're paroled. They have to get to know you before they are on the "outs". Once they're released, it's a lot harder for you to keep in touch with them, unless they know you're someone they can trust."
PEP has been working hard to respond to what this youth - and others - have said. PEP Case Managers attend Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings for youth as soon as possible after they are committed to a juvenile facility. With information gleaned there and from other sources, the PEP staff can better know the youth's needs and match them with an appropriate team of mentors.
More intensive staff visitation has required that PEP focus primarily on the counties of Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Valencia, and Torrance for the present. However, we are promoting the formation of a UMC team in Las Cruces with the help of Joe Whitley in order to mentor a youth who is held at the J Paul Taylor Center in Doña Ana County.
The increased time that Case Managers spend with each youth may seem less efficient than more superficial contact, but the investment pays off in the success of the youth. A new mentor may overlap with PEP staff during several visits to the juvenile facility in order to promote a seamless transition.
In order to build team trust during the first months of the partnership, PEP is proposing to offer restorative justice peacemaking circles in partnership with Outcomes, Inc. Most likely, Outcomes, Inc. will train PEP staff to lead these circles for youth and mentors at the Youth Diagnostic and Development Center, the largest juvenile facility in the state.
The training of volunteers is crucial to the success of PEP. Foundational preparation helps them become familiar with the program, learn about the youth, anticipate issues that may arise, and most important of all, learn how to listen. Through panel discussions and role-plays, mentors have a glimpse of how the youth may view the relationship.
This youth and her PEP Case Manager are speaking to volunteers about their experiences. She was tutored for many months by a mentor from a Mennonite church. As her release date neared, a second mentor from the United Church of Christ joined the partnership. She has now completed her parole and is living with her mother, who recently was herself released from an institution.
During a one-year period, 16 youth were mentored through PEP. The total number of contact hours by these youth with PEP staff and volunteers was 717, and the average number of contact hours per youth was 45.
- Of 16 youth in PEP, 10 were in school or had completed school or GED, for a success rate of 62.5%
- Of 8 youth in a position to work (i.e. not incarcerated) 5 were employed, for a success rate of 62.5%. There were 4 incarcerated and 4 others for whom there was no work information available at the time of the report.
- Of 9 youth no longer under parole at the time of this report, 8 had completed parole and one had violated parole, for a success rate of 88%. The table below further details the outcomes for PEP youth.
- Of 16 youth served, 5 incurred new charges, for a success rate of 69%.
PEP has applied for a Capacity-Building Federal Sub-Grant to improve its information storage and retrieval systems and render record-keeping more efficient, thus permitting the redirection of valuable staff time from administrative tasks to program activities.
Moreover, PEP needs to more effectively record and report program success. A study over time should compare PEP youth with a control group, to establish firm evidence of the program's success to the degree expected by governmental grant-making entities.
PEP needs to monitor and compile data on the success of high-risk youth with respect to these criteria: academic achievement, decrease in antisocial behavior, increase in social competencies, and improvement in family relations.
But much more important than the statistics are the changed lives behind the numbers. Youth that often have had little or no positive adult presence in their lives are given the chance to relate to someone who is motivated by faith and humanity to care about them and their future, and to take action based on that caring.
The Thaxton Endowment Fund through this grant has made it possible for encounters like these to happen, and for the lives of the youth and the mentors in the PEP program to be forever changed. We thank you for your prayers and your support of this ministry.
Congregational & Community Outreach of New Mexico
See information on Parole Empowerment Partners (PEP)
The Congregation and Community Outreach of New Mexico Mission Statement:
- Coordinate community-based intervention programs of partner agencies that serve high-risk youth and their families.
- Divert identified youth and families from involvement or re-involvement with the juvenile justice system through the collaboration of all community stakeholders, including Juvenile Justice Services of Children Youth and Families Department, in providing effective intervention services.
- Encourage and equip members of faith communities to volunteer in community-based programs of partner agencies.
The New Mexico Conference of Churches (NMCC) has worked for over 10 years reaching out to youth at risk and their families. The collaborative, Congregation and Community Outreach of New Mexico (CCONM), includes the NMCC and its PEP Project, the SAFE 2000 Youth and Family Program, the Wings Ministry program for families of the incarcerated, and the Baptist Ministers Union after school programs for youth. CCONM understands that governmental entities, faith communities and community organizations must join together to help solve our collective challenges.
Bonding Youth, Congregations and Communities throughout New Mexico
The current mission of the Congregation and Community Outreach of New Mexico [CCONM] is to reduce the rate of cyclical multigenerational incarceration and youth recidivism.
What do these terms mean?
A child or youth with a parent in prison is seven times more likely than the general population to also end up in prison. There are families in New Mexico in which being imprisoned is almost a rite of passage. CCONM works against that expectation by providing positive role models and alternatives to high-risk behavior.
A child or youth that gets into trouble once is likely to become a repeat offender if there is not effective intervention. CCONM partners identify these high-risk youth as soon as possible and coordinate efforts to keep them out of the juvenile justice system from then on.
Often, the various people and agencies involved in a child's life are not aware of each other's intervention. The school may not know what the church is doing; the social worker may not be aware of the counselor's role. The juvenile probation and parole officer may not have access to intervention programs unless the youth is actually charged with a crime. And the parent or guardian, even if present in the child's life, may be overwhelmed by the situation and unaware of resources that could help.
CCONM brings the NM Conference of Churches into collaboration with three Partner Agencies: the Baptist Ministers Union, the SAFE 2000 Youth and Family Program, and the Wings Ministry.
The Baptist Ministers Union (a coalition of traditionally African American churches) provides tutoring, dropout prevention, life coaching, advocacy and recreation at church sites in Rio Rancho and South Broadway in Albuquerque.
The SAFE 2000 Youth and Family Program identifies high-risk youth through referrals by law enforcement, juvenile justice and school and community counselors. Social workers do case management and referral to services, helping families get access to services. SAFE 2000 serves the Albuquerque metro area.
The Wings Ministry operates Wings for L.I.F.E. (Lifeskills for Inmate Families and Education) with seminars in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Roswell every two weeks for families and children of incarcerated parents and for youth at high risk of entering the juvenile justice system.
The CCONM Partner Agencies employ the 40 Assets for Positive Youth Development, identified by the SEARCH Institute, as guidelines for understanding the situation of each young person in the program, for setting goals, and for evaluating progress.
To find out how you can help, contact the NMCC office and ask for Daniel Erdman, CCONM Coordinator. All of these programs need dedicated volunteers from congregations in order to best serve the youth of these New Mexico communities.
daniel.e@nmchurches.org, 505-459-0855
Parole Empowerment Partners (PEP)
"Finishing the Race through Congregational and Community Connections"
A project of the Congregation and Community Outreach of New Mexico (CCONM)
WHO
A Youth being paroled from a Juvenile Facility in New Mexico will be matched with a Volunteer Team from a congregation. The Team will partner with the Youth to achieve his or her goals for positive development and successful completion of parole.
WHAT
PEP staff and state juvenile personnel facilitate the Youth's linkage with Volunteer Team. Youth and Volunteer Team agree on positive goals and work together to achieve them in a systematic way that empowers the Youth to make responsible decisions.
WHEN
The project lasts six to twelve months, depending on the length of the Youth's parole. Someone from the Volunteer Team is in contact with the Youth at least once a week. Once the Youth has completed the conditional release period, the formal obligations of the PEP program are ended. Achievements are celebrated, and all parties complete evaluations of the program.
WHERE
Prior to release, one or two team members may visit the Youth in a juvenile facility. Most of the project takes place after the Youth is paroled from the facility. The Team and the Youth may work together in the community (possibly including the congregational setting) and the Youth's home environment.
HOW
Volunteers provide a caring presence and build a positive relationship with the Youth. The Volunteer Team helps the Youth by being someone they can count on to be present for them, to listen and help with the practical adjustments to life on the outside, such as:
- Help getting into and/or staying in school
- Employment assistance
- Basic computer skills
- Managing a budget
- Parenting classes/Support
- Understanding tax forms, credit forms, applications
- GED/higher education counseling, including financial aid
- Motivational encouragement to follow through on plans
- Other life skills
WHY
Youth coming out of the very structured environment of a juvenile facility need support if they are to succeed in carrying out the terms of their Parole Agreement. Half of paroled youth do not succeed and end up back in the juvenile system or in the adult system, due to a lack of enough positive support in their environment.
A Volunteer Team can work together, bringing different gifts and perspectives for mutual encouragement and support.
Congregation and Community Outreach of New Mexico
The New Mexico Conference of Churches works through PEP to involve congregations in responding to the needs of youth. All the youth in this program are requesting mentor teams. They are in this program voluntarily and asking for support from churches.
The Parole Empowerment Partners project provides:
- Enlistment and screening of prospective Youth participants
- Training of volunteer teams and matching with youth
- Ongoing support and supervision of volunteer teams and youth
- Referral to community resources as needed
- Support in ending a partnership, celebrating and evaluating the experience
Who can form a team?
Teams will usually be formed from people within a specific congregation or parish. Sometimes a small group such as a ministry team, a class, or a fellowship group may wish to form a Team as a project. However, a team may be formed from individuals with a passion for service to youth.
Some Teams choose to add one or two participants from outside the group because of their particular expertise.
Can a congregation form more than one team?
The optimal size for a Team to work with one Youth is two to six people. If more people are interested, it is advisable to form two or more teams.
For responses to further questions, to set up an informational session and learn more about the PEP project, or to arrange for training for a Team, please contact:
|
The Rev. Daniel Erdman |
Ms. Jo Ann Jantz |
William Poehnaer |
Or contact CCONM at:
New Mexico Conference of Churches
336 N. Camino del Pueblo
PO Box 606 (Mailing address)
Bernalillo, NM 87004-0606
(505) 867-2956
