Structured Rehabilitative Programming. The State shall provide appropriate structured rehabilitative programming to youth in the facilities.
Structured Rehabilitative Programming. The State shall provide appropriate structured rehabilitative programming to youth in the facilities. Status Xxxxxx School Substantial Compliance (as of October 25, 2007) Cheltenham Youth Facility Substantial Compliance (as of October 25, 2007) Discussion The following policies are relevant to this provision: ▪ Recreation Given the relatively short lengths of stay among detained youth, the Parties have agreed that intensive rehabilitative programming may not be feasible. However, both agreed that this provision suggests that youth should be engaged in structured activities throughout the day, i.e., that the daily schedule should not be dominated by unstructured free time. Implementing a predictable structure with a high‐level of activity is essential to managing the behavior of adolescents. In addition, structured group time should be used to begin to address the issues that brought the youth to the facility in the first place. Programs to improve decision‐ making skills, self‐regulation, frustration tolerance and communication are essential. Since the inception of this Agreement, the daily schedules at both facilities were fortified with additional programming. Not only do direct care staff conduct groups on the housing units throughout the week, mental health staff also engage youth in rehabilitative programming throughout the week (e.g., Aggression Replacement Training, interactive journaling, victim awareness, etc.). Both facilities have also devised an array of structured recreational opportunities and tournaments for youth so that free time is not dominated by television and board games. A review of unit log books and interviews with staff and youth indicated that staff do not deviate from the published schedule, except in emergency situations. At CYF, the woodworking shop and new ceramics class received very favorable reviews from both staff and youth. The new volunteer coordinator brought four additional weekly groups (empowerment, character development, job readiness, and self‐advocacy) to the facility during the latter half of the monitoring period. At Xxxxxx, new recreational opportunities were developed and the Monitors noted much improved structure during the youth’s “free time.” While these programs have not fully coalesced into an integrated rehabilitative package that is focused on teaching adaptive skills, they are far more structured and interactive and successfully limit youth’s idle time to acceptable levels. Recommendations Both facili...
