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Inspire, Encourage, Achieve for Troubled Teens E-mail
America’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline has troubled teenagers in the United States caught in its web. A report by the Children’s Defense Fund says, "At crucial points in their development, from birth through adulthood, more risks and disadvantages cumulate and converge that make a successful transition to productive adulthood significantly less likely and involvement in the criminal justice system significantly more likely."

Just one specific example is Jennifer, a 16-year-old who was released from juvenile detention. "My attitude was bad. A person would say 'Hi' to me and I'd look at them like, 'What are you talking to me for? I was doing everything I could to get shot or killed,” said Jennifer.

 Jennifer is actually just one of 103 teenagers from 12 to 17-years-old who are enrolled in the Inspire, Encourage, Achieve (IEA)/ Ben’s Kids program. This program assigns each teen a mentor who will guide him or her through negative behavior and hopefully lead them to positive behavior.

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“Often Southeast Texas children in the criminal justice system were failed by parents, schools and society because of undiagnosed mental and learning disorders. Most of the kids we deal with are in fact behind educationally. It is not unusual for them to fail one grade, two grades or maybe more. Schools often overlook mental health issues,” said James Martin, chief of Jefferson County juvenile probation.

There is a test for the screening of mental health disorders in juvenile detention which is named the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument. When a teen scores three or above, he is considered suicidal.

Martin said, “A large number have a score of three or above. Typically, undiagnosed trauma leads to depression and mood disorders that make it difficult when interacting with peers, parents and police.”

Jennifer was depressed after her 97-year-old grandmother died in 2001 but she never received counseling.

Angeliqueca Avery, Ben's Kids executive director, said “The IEA program is a pipeline alternative helping the teens overcome their adversity. Kids in the pipeline are not lost. We feel like we have an opportunity to make a pretty good impact."

Jamie Hennington, the mentor from IEA who has worked with Jennifer for a year, said "She really has begun to progress. And I can't take the full credit for that because she had to have a made-up mind."

Jennifer leaves us the words, "I'm changing now because I want to make my grandmother proud. In order to change you have to know what your problem is and then you have to plan what you are going to do to fix it. Then you have to make adjustments to change."

 
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