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Juvenile Offenders Hold
Sporfs Meet in Carrollton
“lt’s a real shame so many
young kids have to find love
by court orders,” says Mike
Mitcham, Director of the
Coweta County Community
Treatment Center (CTC) for
juvenile offenders at New
nan, Georgia.
The Newnan Center recent
ly hosted the Second Annual
Statewide Community Treat
ment Center All Sports Meet
held at West Georgia College,
Carrollton, Georgia.
A visit to a college campus
for a sports meet is not
usually considered ideal
vacation activity; but don’t
try to tell that to the 96
youngsters from all parts of
the state who spent four
days there, July 11 through
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J&jjajr
I PLEDGE TO YOU.
(1) A management program that will save our county tax dollars.
This can be done with a good budget.
(2) A fair and equitable tax assessment program.
(3) To actively work to entice new industry.
(4) To be nondiscriminatory in the selection of roads to be paved.
(5) To work with other commissioners to organize county wide fire
protection.
(6) Apply for any and ail State and Federal grants that will benefit
Butts County.
(7) To have a regular schedule whereby I will be in the
Commissioner's office to hear from you as citizens and tax payers.
(8) To use good judgement in all purchases of equipment and
materials.
(9) To work with the Hospital Board in any way necessary to
promote our hospital and obtain more doctors.
(10) To work with any and all other elected officials for the
betterment of our county.
14.
Most of them had never
been on any kind of real
vacation before, only a small
number had even been away
to see their grandmothers in
distant cities. All the sports
events they had seen had
been in school yards or on
TV.
A large percentage of the
youths in the CTCs are from
large, poor families or
broken homes. All have been
in trouble with the courts;
that is the one thing they
have in common.
They are all youthful
offenders committed by the
courts to the controlled
supervision of the Georgia
Department of Human Re
Cjhuej/ame)
STORE
VOTE FOR
MAC COLLINS
County Commissioner
Post 1
Aug. 10, 19/6
Primary
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA
sources, Youth Services
Division. The CTCs are the
state’s alternative to institu
tional confinement for minor
offenses by juveniles.
“The Community Treat
ment Centers have proven to
be more effective for the
nonserious offender than the
Youth Development Centers,
where youths charged with
dangerous crimes are placed
under 24 hour supervision,”
Mitcham said. “The kids at
the CTCs are just under our
direction during the day;
they are free to return home
at night. When they first
arrive they have to come for
a certain number of hours
each day. Then as they
progress their time is cut
Hardware
down until they are released.
They sign a contract tailored
to their individual needs
which they must fulfill to be
released.
“Even though not com
pletely free the youths at the
CTCs are generally allowed
to function with society
sooner than those at the
YDC. The rate of rearrest is
much lower, and the cost of
the state and taxpayer is less
than half that of the YDC per
youth,” Mitcham said. “Most
of our clients are truants,
runaways, or have committ
ed simple crimes, the so
called “status offenses.”
Mitcham said his CTC is
typical of the seventeen other
Community Treatment Cen
ters across the state. “We try
to give the kids some
direction to their lives. The
all sport competition is an
example. Most of the kids
here have a very poor
self-image when we first
make contact with them.
They seem to feel they are
losers, that everybody is
down on them. Many have
never seen their fathers;
other have never seen him
sober. We try to improve
their self-image. Parental
apathy is the big problem.
“At the CTCs we try to
offer the kids things we feel
will help make the youth
worthwhile citizens,” Mitc
ham said. “We treat the kids
as humans, not wayward
delinquents. They are given
tasks and are expected to
complete them. However, we
don’t constantly look over
their shoulder or berate
them. Many of these kids
have never been trusted to do
a job alone, supervised
others, or received pay,
beyond a manager amount,
for work performed.”
“We try to gain their trust
by firm, realistic supervision
and showing real concern for
their well being,” he said.
“We become their friends
rather than the representa
tive of the courts. We take the
kids off the street and give
them something to do. For
most it’s the first time in
their young lives anyone has
really tried to help. The
schools have been too
crowded, the parents too
busy."
“We get the kids involved
in as many educational,
cultural, recreational and
work activities as we can. We
found community projects
for them to do: Assisting the
old. helping the Marine
repair and deliver toys in
their Toy for Tots campaign,
cleaning scenic spots along
the river, setting out trash
receptacles then emptying
them on a regular schedule.
For over a year we were the
Humane Society for the
county, going to the dog
pound regularly to clean the
pens and trying to find homes
for the many animals there.
We planted flowers around a
nursing home. Many of the
kids were surprised to find
there really were people in
worse shape than they
were,” Mithcam says.
“We were looking for a
way to repay the kids for all
the work they had done,”
Mitcham said. “Not an easy
task when you consider that
we have boys and girls who
range in age from 10 to 16
years. We wanted them to
have a vacation, but we had
to think of the cost. We had to
keep the cost at an absolute
minimum. West Georgia
College agreed to sponsor on
all sports event at a cost of
$22 per kid for four days
including room, food and
facilities.
“Thus the idea for the all
sports day was born. We held
track and field events,
softball competition, basket
ball, eightball and football,
all with a minimum of
equipment. They seem to
have as much, or more, fun
with an old beat up softball,
worn-out glove and bruised
basketball as other kids do
with new equipment,” Mitc
ham said.
“Our kids don’t require
much; most of them have
never had much," he said.
"They are not true criminals,
just misdirected youths. All
most of them need is
understanding and guidance
and to know someone
cares.”
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1976
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WHAT A NUT!
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Vote For and Elect
Mrs. Walter J. Bennett
TAX COMMISSIONER
Butts County
in the
Democratic Primary August 10th
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