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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2018)
LIFESTYLES WEEKEND, NOV. 3-4, 2018 Help from a friend By AUBREY WIEBER Capital Bureau WHEN JOSEFINA WALKED INTO Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility five and a half years ago, she was closed off and angry at the world. She often used alcohol and drugs to work through issues, but that wasn’t an option anymore. She had been convicted of attempted murder for her involvement in a homicide committed when she was 15. Editor’s note: Youth in this story are identified by their first names only at the request of the Oregon Youth Authority. Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter Josefina, 22, is one of seven graduates in Oregon Youth Authority’s peer mentoring pilot program. The program gives her state certification and gives her the opportunity to mentor other youth while incarcerated. “I didn’t know who I was,” Josefina, now 22, said. As one of the first graduates of Oregon Youth Authority’s peer mentoring program, Jose- fina counsels other teens and young women at Oak Creek, Albany detention center. She also helps lead group counsel- ing sessions. The transformation is stark, but it took time and work. When Josefina got to Oak Creek, she recognized many faces from the year and a half she spent in juvenile detention leading up to her conviction. She made friends with peo- ple in the facility who reminded her of her former life of run- ning with gangs and using drugs. She also starved herself and hoarded sharp objects so when she was hit with a rush of emotion, she could find release by cutting herself. I WAS JUST THINKING HOW IT WENT WRONG Josefina, Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility inmate But a change surfaced in December 2015. Her victim’s mother reached out to the staff at Oak Creek, asking them to pass along a message: She for- gave Josefina. Negative into a positive Josefina started accepting accountability and taking her treatment more seriously. She worked to forgive herself and realize she was more than her crime. “Not too many people get that,” she said. “It’s a blessing.” She now uses that expe- rience to help other young women entering Oregon’s juvenile justice system. Today, Josefina doesn’t resemble a violent or cold person. She’s candid and open and is deeply involved in reform. The peer mentoring program was in part started by Ed Zager, treatment services coordina- tor at Oregon Youth Authority. He noticed a period of incarcer- ation can actually be a plus in shaping people for counseling jobs. If youth can get a basic certification as counselors, that could give them a leg up once they are released, he thought. After being released, the youth qualify for entry-level jobs if they pursue the field. Additionally, that certificate means that while they are still in state custody, they can men- tor other youth, connecting on a level that an adult might not be able to. Of the eight youth who par- ticipated in the pilot program, seven finished. Four are still in state juvenile custody. The agency is planning a new class of about 12. “They get to take things that were considered negatives in their past — their own use and incarceration — and now they’re going to turn it into a positive,” said Sarah Evans, spokeswoman for the youth authority. To be eligible, the youth need to be sober for at least two years, engaging in recov- Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter Josefina and John Jones lead a group of seven youth. The girls read from their workbooks until Jones or Josefina hear something they want to expand upon, such as coping skills or dealing with anger. ery activity such as substance abuse treatment and have a clean behavioral record for six months. The classes are co-ed and take youth from all facilities. Learning to mentor Oak Creek sits about five miles from Interstate 5 in southern Albany, set between the city and miles of agricul- tural land to the south. It’s one of five state youth correctional facilities, and the only one for females. The state takes juveniles sentenced by a juvenile court judge and teens 15 through 17 charged as adults. Youth can stay in state juvenile custody until they are 25. Any time remaining on their sentence after that is served in the state’s adult prisons. From the outside, Oak Creek looks like a standard government building, but as soon as you step in the lobby it’s clear the facility is secure. The building wraps around a large open courtyard. It’s far friendlier than an adult prison yard, with grass, concrete path- ways, picnic tables and a small pond holding two ducks. Inside are large dorm rooms where up to 25 youth live, sleeping in bunk beds. Each has a connected day room with couches and tables. While they don’t live in cells, the youth are still always supervised by an adult employee. The youth spend most of their day in the classroom. They can also participate in See MENTOR/6C
