Military Schools And Values

One of the principles behind brat camps and similar juvenile programs is to give the troubled teen insight into what makes them tick. To guide them into taking responsibility for who they are. To get them to realize that they have the capacity to create a good life and to introduce them into the behavior and critical thinking that will serve to help them identify their goals and a map to get there. In Delaware, officials have begun addressing the need to create programs that target teen girls, stating that the bundle of issues girls bring to the table require different approaches. Called the Wrap Around program, it seeks to envelop the troubled teen with support, providing a transition from incarceration back into their lives.

Contd..

“The intensive, four-month Wraparound program targets girls ages 12 to 18…who either are transitioning out of the state’s…detention facility or being diverted from incarceration. Services aim to “wrap around” the girls with a support team of key people in their lives, to help them return to their homes and prevent further involvement with the law by improving self-esteem and family relationships…” (unknown source) The above article makes a very good point when saying that those teens who know nothing but trauma soon are unable to think in terms of a future. So the concept of consequences doesn’t translate well if you have no faith in tomorrow to begin with. Girls programs such as Wrap Around, or longer term troubled girl’s boarding schools put the word future back into the troubled teen’s vocabulary. By Ann Walker