Youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17 and their parents will have a chance to see firsthand the consequences of continued delinquent behavior as part of an upcoming program offered by the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. Participants in the two-hour “Think Before You Act” program will get a guided tour of Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall’s courtroom and have a chance to talk to him about the problems they are experiencing.
From there they will walk across the street to the Starke County Jail for an educational tour focused on making good choices. An employee from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department will show the youngsters most areas of the facility. They will also be paired up with an inmate to hear firsthand about life in jail.
While the youth are on their tour, their parents will attend an educational program hosted by a social worker from Lifeline. They will get information about juvenile services and community resources and discuss the challenges that confront youngsters and their families and may lead to involvement with the juvenile justice system. Afterward the youngsters and adults come together to talk about what they learned, discuss better choices both sides can make and take part in a question and answer session.
The first class is Wednesday, July 16 at 1:30 p.m. CDT. Applications are available at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. The website http://thinkbeforeyouactstarkecounty.webs.com/ will soon have an application available for download. You can also contact Lori Tolson at 574-772-3771 ext. 2 or by email at ltolson@co.starke.in.us.
