KIDS IN CORRECTIONS
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Access to cosmetics and food from Taco Bell are perks for
the well-behaved at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility.
By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin
Fridays are special at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility's Hookipa Coed Cottage, especially for those who have behaved well during the week. Dinner is sent uncooked to the cottage from HYCF's kitchen so it can be barbecued by Hookipa staff, who regularly donate time after work to do the cooking.
The cookout is for everyone, but the real treat comes at about 9 p.m. when wards who have qualified can collect their Excel program reward.
"They get to stay up past 9, until 11:30 p.m., and we use money donated by staff to treat them to an extra meal from Burger King or Taco Bell, and they can watch a video," said Roy Carroll, Hookipa's recreation specialist, who started the Excel incentive program at Hookipa about three years ago.
"We have staff here who believe in the program. They don't come to help me; they come to help the kids."
Bert Matsuoka, Office of Youth Services executive director, says Excel restores self-confidence and pride.
"The kids know that if they work hard they can attain a goal," Matsuoka said. "It's something that can be carried on after they leave Hookipa."
"We want the kids to excel, so we called it Excel," Carroll said. "Little by little, they have to do something every day to reach a goal."
To qualify for Friday's late-night reward, wards must have a 95 percent or better grade in school that week and no cottage misconducts, Carroll said.
Wards monitor themselves during the week by checking the Excel board near the cottage's front desk. A black mark represents a major misconduct, while red signifies a less serious infraction. Blue marks represent good behavior.
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
A pair of donated sneakers will come in handy for a
privilege excusion, a pickup soccer game against Hawaii
Pacific University at Aloha Stadium.
"If kids have minor infractions, we give them an opportunity to make it up," Carroll said. "If they have two weeks of blues, they're eligible for an outing."An outing is a community project, such as a Waimanalo roadside cleanup followed by a swim.
Being good, however, demands discipline and self-control, according to one former ward who set the Excel record of 225 days last year, beating the previous best of 109 days.
"It's real tough to be good," said the boy, who identified himself as "Smoker" when interviewed in August.
"I think I had conflicts with every person in here at one time because it's easy to get into arguments about food, toothpaste, slippers and what television station to watch," he said.
"Sometimes, others know you're going for a goal and they try to pick a fight with you. You just have to learn to control yourself."
Smoker was sent to the Bobby Benson Center for drug treatment in December before Carroll and the staff could reward him for setting the record.
"We'll do something for him at some later date," said Carroll.
Smoker, sentenced to serve a year at HYCF last April for a series of burglaries in Salt Lake, said Excel gave him incentive to behave.
Carroll, who has been at HYCF for 14 years, started as a youth corrections officer and later became a recreation specialist.
"Being a YCO was OK but boring because all you do is watch the kids, baby-sit them," he said. "As a rec specialist, I can work with them."
Carroll said the idea for Excel came to him during one particularly bad month at Hookipa.
"We had 46 write-ups one month," he said. "One night, I was talking with my wife (Gina, a secretary at HYCF) and told her I'd like to run a program that was like the one I had growing up as a kid in Waimanalo.
"If I did all my chores, did well in school and watched my sisters during the week, my parents let me do what whatever I wanted on the weekends."
The program, boosted by staff support, has been successful.
"It gives us a tool to work with and gives the kids a chance to be responsible for their actions," Carroll said.
June Ioane, acting administrator of the cottage, says Carroll is "my backbone."
"We stress involvement," she said. "You need to give these kids nurturing, a safe feeling, because they're very insecure."
Kale Au, a social worker at Hookipa, is among the regular Excel volunteers.
"We deal with a lot of alcohol, behavior problems, lack of self-esteem, and the majority of kids here have problems that go back to their household," Au said.
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
The recreation room at the Hawaii Youth Correctional
Facility looks like a lot of normal living rooms.
"Out of 10, we probably reach six. Maybe a half of those we reach end up going back to school and get straightened out. But if I can help keep one kid out of the big house (prison), I'm happy."Excel helps prepare wards for what's ahead, Au said.
"We're not in the business of punishing people; we're here to rehabilitate them," Au added. "The public wants us to lock 'em up and throw away the key.
"But when they reach 19, they're going to be out. We only have them for a small period of time, so are we going to use that time to make them sit here and rot or prepare them for what's outside?"
Acceptance of the Excel program has not extended to the secured facility, although Carroll believes it could work there, too.
"It's better to have kids occupied than sitting around watching MTV," Carroll said of the lock-up situation at the secured facility.
Carroll normally turns a 40-hour work week into 70 hours.
Many other Hookipa staffers also give extra time.
"I see these kids more than my own kids," Carroll said.
"I do the same program at home for my own three boys."
