Youth and Teens In Prison
08 March 2012
By Kathie FitzPatrick— Director of Young Lions Youth Ministry Program
There is a dark region in the soul of almost every community in America…that dark, mysterious building with bundles of razor wire at the top of the fence, and electric doors that open and close as police quietly come and go depositing children almost every day of the year, while a world outside sleeps. Unless you had a child arrested and taken there, you might never know it existed. It is your neighborhood youth detention center, USA.
The youth who live there, or who are being held there until they face a judge who will decide their fate, are as young as nine years old, and on the other end of the spectrum, the eldest are just under their 18th birthday. Where do these youth come from? They are either from a violent domestic family disruption, some are being held for crimes as mild as truancy or forgetting to return a video to a store, to arson, car theft, armed robbery, assault and even drive by shootings and murder. These young people are the unfortunate youth our society wishes they could somehow erase and forget, but they can’t. They are deposited into youth detention centers in communities across America, and they are seldom visited by anyone who really cares or who has any answers for their life condition.
In the Spring of 1997, the Director of the Yakima County Youth Detention Center, of Juvenile Justice Center—contacted the youth Pastor of my church, the Stone Church Assemblies of God in Yakima, WA., for help. “We built this two million dollar facility, but the county is so strapped for money that we can not hire chaplains like of the other youth detention centers on the Coast do. Could you develop a team of people to come in a talk to the kids about Jesus and hold services? We could get you a regular time slot.” Our Youth Pastor, Russ, could hardly believe his ears! When Pastor Russ announced from the pulpit the opportunity, and asked those who were interested to meet with him after the service, a bright light from heaven might as well have shone down from heaven on my very head as I felt my heart swell, and that unmistakable tap on my shoulder from God. I looked for Russ after the service, and he gave me one of those volunteer clearance forms I have come to know very well.
It turned out that we had nine people, both men and women volunteers, in the original group. However, after circumstances delayed us from starting up, over and over again, we finally did start up on a Friday night in mid-June 1997, even though we were short of people to do skits, and every creative idea we had developed for our initial services seemed to be smashed. Our youth singer, Cindy, had even had a death in the family that week, and was not able to join us. “We are going in tonight,” Russ announced that Friday night, “regardless. We cannot delay any longer.” He looked into the eyes of our now reduced group. It was obvious we had no plan. “I have led teams who have done street ministry, and preached at the mission countless times…but I’ll tell you, I think I am scared to death. Let’s pray.” We did.
We walked in that night and split up into three separate groups in various locations around the youth jail, classroom settings. We had nothing but a bible, and our testimony, that’s all. As the youth filed into the classroom on both sides, jail house garb, looking dark and sullen, I breathed a prayer, “Jesus you’d better show up because we don’t know what we are doing!” He did. I faced a class numbered about 20 something teenagers with a big smile. “Hi…my name is Kathie, and I found the Lord Jesus as my personal savior at the age of 14. It has been an awesome journey! We are here to talk to you about how you too can know God personally, ‘cause you need him now to help you with your issues…and you need him for eternity!” They listened…most received Christ that night! Well, over 11 years later, the rest is history. Jesus has truly been the answer to their loneliness, fears, anger, drug addiction, teen relationship issues, and the whole list of insurmountable problems they seem to face. Today, thousands of youth have since responded to Christ and have received both Bibles and mentoring!
However back at the beginning, Satan was not sleeping. He seemed to lay an attack against each team member in the form of unusual circumstances to hinder them for continuing. I felt those reverberations out of hell in my own life as well, but was determined to stand firm and to continue. After working alone for a year and a half, God opened up doors and led new men and women to work with me in Yakima County Youth Detention. As a result the Young Lions Youth Ministry Program, and the ministry team concept was born! I consider an ideal team to be 5 or 6 men and 2 or 3 ladies. Any youth detention center will usually report around 80 to 90 percent boys to girl population.
It is a ministry that truly tugs on the heart strings! The reward of seeing young people turn from a destructive lifestyle to that of a positive, godly path, now making right choices, and exercising positive spiritual life principles…is truly amazing. It has been reported that in jail ministry in our nation, across the board, including youth detention ministry, that the only lasting recovery comes from the outgrowth of the “chapel services,” and the changed lives that grow out of that effort. Many people come into youth detention with programs that propose many “good ideas,” such as “you should stay in school, you should get along with your parents and siblings, you should not use drugs and alcohol…” But when hit with life trauma, they are unable to comply in the natural. These are only good ideas they are helpless to implement. But when combined with understanding true biblical repentance, turning of their old attitudes and lifestyle, and going forward with a new fresh start at life with God’s help, and a relationship with Jesus Christ…now they can experience the strength and power to actually succeed. Wow, what a difference once they have the right power supply! What a difference when they learn to use a bible instead of using drugs…or a weapon of violence. We developed a new slogan in youth detention chapel, “A new habit!” as the kids raised their Bibles high with big smiles, and new hearts!
If you have had a heart to make a difference with troubled and at-risk teens in your community, you can get materials to equip you, and help you form a positive effort to begin a Young Lions Youth Ministry Program team concept in your community. See www.younglions.org for more information. Be sure to see MEDIA and play the 13 minute informational video. You can make a difference for a lifetime in the youth of your world and community!
My biggest reward is when a happy, wholesome looking young adult, now in their twenties walks up to me on the street and asks, “Do you remember me from juvy? I’m still with God…he’s re-built my life!’ They tell me of returning to school, going to college, how their family was healed, and sometimes they are even married with children of their own, but on God’s path…not a destructive path. Yes, that is my best reward! God sees it all. Will YOU get involved?
