 The
Juvenile Justice Program is an extraordinarily successful
and cost-effective effort that for over 25 years has kept
thousands of young offenders from repeat criminal activity
and prevented thousands of at-risk youths from ever becoming
involved in crime. The program serves as a unifying source
of support to youngsters through counseling, court advocacy,
supervision, and assistance with educational, vocational,
mental health, housing, and substance abuse placement. The
program serves more than 100 youths each year and is widely
respected by all sectors of the criminal justice system (including
judges, prosecutors, and defense lawyers). It is the goal
of The DOME to provide our youngsters with intensive therapeutic
individual, group, and family counseling so that they avoid
criminal activity or being re-arrested and become productive
members of society.
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| “I think if my lawyer had never
put me in this place, I
would have definitely caught another case.” |
— Anthony
a DOME Juvenile Justice Program participant |
| “The DOME Project helps to steer
our clients toward a positive course so they have a better
chance at a productive future.” |
— Jennifer Arons, Attorney,
Legal Aid Society,
Juvenile Rights Division |
Individual Counseling – One-on-one counseling
remains the main intervention that the JJP staff utilizes. The
long term goals of individual counseling for our program participants
are: 1) to resolve the core conflicts that contribute to emergence
of antisocial behaviors, 2) to develop the essential social
skills that will enhance the quality of interpersonal relationships,
3) to employ positive coping mechanisms to effectively manage
life stressors, 4) to cooperate with academic and career assessment
and comply with recommendations. Upon intake, a complete psychosocial
evaluation is done with youngsters to set goals and cooperate
with the recommendations or required mandates by the criminal/juvenile
justice system and program.
| “The DOME Project provides a
critical service in New York City. Young people who
participate in The Dome Project are much more likely to
stay out of trouble than those who are locked up. The
program has such a high success rate because it addresses
the reasons youth get in trouble and gives them the tools
they need to make positive changes in their lives and
in their communities. If we want to reduce youth crime
and promote public safety, then we need more programs
like The DOME Project.” |
— Mishi Faruqee, Director,
Juvenile Justice Project
Correctional Association of New York
|
Group Counseling and Educational Workshops –
A series of therapeutic and educational workshops are held
twice a week for court-involved youths to reduce their involvement
in delinquent activities. Groups of 25-30 youngsters meet
weekly for subject specific workshops (anger management, drugs,
education, etc), conducted by JJP counselors as well as outside
agencies when appropriate. The group provides a structured,
safe, and supportive environment that provides its members
with the tools needed to change criminal thoughts and actions.
Group also encourages clients to make a positive change in
life areas such as family, school, and community. Participants
are encouraged to gain some level of insight into their behaviors
by exploring past and current life experiences. Finally, it
is hoped that participants will utilize the group process
to practice new skills and reinforce positive attitudes.
Recent group counseling topics: (a) dispelling myths about
the police, (b) healthy vs. unhealthy relationships with significant
others, and (c) how peer pressure and stress figure into criminal
behavior.
Workshops include visits from (a) the founders of CollegeHumor.com
(entrepreneurship and teamwork), (b) video game producers
from New York's leading video game design company, gameLab
(teamwork and video game design), (c) a counselor from OPTIONS
at Goddard Riverside to talk about the post-secondary education
options and amazing financial aid available to our kids, (d)
the creator of Improv
Everywhere, an offshoot of the Upright Citizens Brigade,
to talk to the kids about how they can perform legal and inoffensive
pranks around the city, (e) an inspiring talk from a few participants
in DayTop's
drug rehabilitation program here in New York City, (f)
Mt. Sinai's SAVI
(Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention) to speak about
date rape, and (g) various individuals from different cultures
and religious backgrounds discussing the destructiveness of
discrimination and educating our youth about traditions and
how similar minority plights are when taking the time to explore
one another's beliefs (our Unlearning Stereotypes
series).
Other workshop presenters include:
Court Advocacy – We follow our kids
through the justice system, both criminal court and family
court. We help our clients, as well as their family members,
understand the legal process and advocate for them in front
of their judges, promoting alternatives rather than incarceration
and detention. We continue to attend each court date for updates
as long as the child is in our program.
The DOME's Network of Services
– Over the years, The DOME has entered into
linkage agreements, as well as referral alliances, with a
multitude of service agencies in all five boroughs. This helps
us to ensure that we can give our clients the full breadth
of services they need to get on the right track. Some of these
referrals also help their family members get appropriate aid.
The following is a list of a few key agencies we work with
on a regular basis:
|
