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Dec. 15, 2011
The list of the many positive effects of Garrett College on our county and on the students it serves is a lengthy one, considering all of the institution's fine academic programs, the golden opportunity that the college provides for so many more local students to obtain a college education, the athletic and recreational opportunities, and the overall positive economic impact of the college on the economy of the county, including providing many jobs.
However, one of the more obscure, yet exciting, services of the college is featured on the Garrett College News Beat page in this issue of The Republican (page C-2). The focus of the story is the Garrett-Backbone College Program, which affords the opportunity for wayward youth incarcerated at the Backbone Youth Center to obtain college credit and, more importantly, an avenue for a productive life outside the correctional system.
The young people housed at the Backbone Youth Center are there because they have selected a path of juvenile delinquency. They are typically from dysfunctional – often downright destructive – home environments, from which there is often little hope of ever escaping. The prospect of becoming law-abiding, productive adults is generally slim. In fact, as the story notes, the recidivism rate of juveniles who get into trouble is from 70 to 80%.
However, since the Garrett-Backbone College Program has been in existence (since 2006), the recidivism rate of youth who have been in the program is 38%. Not only have nearly two-thirds of the participants converted to a law-abiding way of life, but a number of them have become highly successful. Several have continued in college – both at Garrett and elsewhere – obtained good jobs, and/or enlisted in the military, where they have also excelled. One alumnus of the school is now a student in the University of Maryland School of Law!
Since its beginning, some 180 young people have earned a total of over 1,000 college credit hours.
This program proves that so many of the nation's youth who get into trouble for a variety of reasons can indeed overcome huge odds and get their lives back on a positive track if they are provided the kind of opportunity generated by programs such as these, and come into contact with adults who truly care about them.
As noted by GC professor Elizabeth Grant, this program also provides an excellent learning environment for other Garrett students who are enrolled in justice studies or various education-related classes, as the program provides some real-life practical situations and experiences.
Kudos to all involved with this outstanding program that is truly "making a difference," and probably literally saving the lives of some of our young people who just need a second chance.
More here.
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