Program aims to break cycle of domestic violence

A second program provides jobs so that restitution can be paid to victims.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Do government-funded programs designed to help juveniles avoid criminal activity really help?

Yes, an 18-year-old, Warren-area high school student says about a class she completed last month through the Trumbull County Juvenile Court.

The girl, who agreed to talk about the class but not be identified, said she was sent to the court several times starting at 15 because of fights she had with her mother.

“I was talking to my mom like she was one of my friends, and that’s what made her mad,” the girl said. “I thought it was cool to do it, but it wasn’t.”

But her mother has an anger problem herself and can be easily provoked, the petite teen added. Sometimes, if she made a slight defensive movement with her hands, her mother would interpret it as aggressiveness.

The girl said her relationship with her mother was strained anyway, since she was always “daddy’s girl.” Her father died in a violent argument with a girlfriend many years ago.

The girl acknowledges she probably acquired some of her father’s quick temper, and the class helped her learn better ways to cope with frustration.

Among them are breathing techniques, reading a book, jogging, or writing about it, for instance, in a journal, she said.

For the girl, one of the best solutions is to seek out someone to talk to who has the maturity to suggest constructive ways to cope, she said.

“When I get mad, I don’t think. I’m like ‘What am I going to do to this person?’ People tell you to think before you do, but it’s hard,” she said.

She also uses her love of laughter to diffuse anger, she said.

“I like to laugh. I laugh to myself about it now,” she said.

The girl isn’t sure that the majority of kids in the class with her late last year took the lessons seriously, but at least some dozen or so did, she said.

Diane M. Pusztai, juvenile court administrator, says the girl represents a common theme among kids referred to the class, which is available because of a federal grant the court has received for four years.

“I would say most of the kids in court on domestic violence charges are kids who are the product of domestic violence in their homes,” she said. “Until they go out into the real world, they don’t know that’s not the way to do things.”

The class is called Breaking the Connection because domestic violence and substance abuse are linked in the lives of many young people, Pusztai said.

Each year, roughly 400 juveniles are referred to the court for either substance abuse or violence problems, including domestic violence and assault.

The 12-week Breaking the Connection class is taught to around 40 kids per year. Class statistics show that most of the 29 kids who took the class during the first two sessions in 2007 have not relapsed.

Justin Sylvester, who teaches the class for Community Solutions in Warren with partner Kallie Vaughn, says he touches on stress management, communication skills, problem solving and bullying, in addition to substance-abuse issues. He said the class is composed of black and white boys and girls.

“We have to communicate with respect to each other — how to get what you want without having to infringe on the rights of others,” Sylvester said. He added that learning those behaviors applies to many facets of life, such as work or marriage or rearing their own children.

Meanwhile, juvenile court will use about $10,000 from another grant this year to provide jobs so juvenile offenders have a way to pay restitution to their victims.

Jolene Calderone, a juvenile probation officer, said part of a $19,402 Ohio Department of Youth Services grant will pay the $6 per hour wages to the offenders while they work off the repayment to their victims.

Calderone said a current community service program will expand this year to include a restitution procedure. Offenders sentenced to community service have worked for nonprofit organizations such as Relay For Life or Howland Trumbull Recycling Center for about 10 years, she said.

With the new grant, restitution will be paid to the victims of vandalism, criminal damaging, burglary, breaking and entering or theft, Calderone added.

Calderone works with about 57 offenders right now between the ages of 10 and 20. A juvenile court supervisor travels with most offenders to their work site, she said.

The rest of the grant will be used to buy materials and equipment the offenders will need to perform their community service.

runyan@vindy.com