The value of green & sustainability-oriented opportunities in juvenile justice

By Paul Sheldon, Michael A. Jones, Aloysius S. Anderson, & Beth Waitkus

As the country becomes more environmentally aware and responsible, public and private sectors have been steadily implementing a wide array of environmentally responsible and sustainability-oriented measures, such as “green teams,” composting, energy conservation, recycling, water conservation, pollution reduction, transportation efficiency, and the utilization of renewable energy alternatives. The American Correctional Association (ACA) has adopted a policy on the topic, developing a Standing “Clean and Green” Committee to lead the movement towards environmentally responsible and sustainability-oriented practices and technologies in corrections.

While some juvenile justice jurisdictions, such as California, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Illinois, and South Carolina, are forerunners in implementing green principles and concepts, the majority of juvenile justice facilities and programs do not seem to have done much in the area of “green” practices. This may be because it seems too overwhelming when considered in the abstract. But when offered as specific options to save money and increase effectiveness of programs, practitioners may find green practices more feasible and practical for individual settings and programs.

“Green” is more than “environmental.” “Green” programming in juvenile justice addresses the whole person, helping youth develop more socially well-adapted identities, skills, and aspirations that go beyond gangs, drugs, and questioning authority to link to the new green economy, respect for people and the environment, and local community development.

The Importance of Good Programming

As explained by Dr. David Roush in the 1996 Desktop Guide to Good Juvenile Detention Practice, well-designed programs are indispensable tools in accomplishing the many goals of detention.

• Good programs keep youth who are detained so busy that they do not have time to think of ways to vent hostility on detention. Youth give more thought to the positives that are an outgrowth of the program.
• Through programs, youth aggression and impulsivity can be influenced by the rules of the activity, partly by the opinion of their peers, and partly by the close supervision of the staff.
• A variety of situations gives more opportunity for a quick evaluation of a youth’s strengths and shortcomings. Programs provide opportunities for interaction, which assists in spotting the withdrawn youth.
• Good programs should be varied in order to find activities that will “unfreeze” the youth and provide an opportunity to share their life experiences so they can receive appropriate counseling, working in gardens, or participating in classes that help them process their feelings.
• A universal trait of young people in detention is that they have low self-esteem. Good programs can help them discover hidden abilities, develop new skills, learn basic facts, and develop new feelings about their responsibility to improve.
• A youth worker’s success in detention is greatly dependent on the relationship of trust that is possible between staff and juveniles, developed especially through good programs.
• One of the greatest benefits of good programs may be that they help the staff member see detained youth for what they are rather than for what they have done.

Corollary benefits

In addition to the program-related benefits outlined above, “green” activities can save money and produce new sources of revenue. Although specific statistics on youth recycling programs are not available, system-wide recycling programs in Indiana, Washington, and other states typically save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, and can also produce additional revenues of hundreds of thousands of dollars as well. In Washington State, for example, the model science education-oriented Sustainability in Prisons Project is entirely funded by the savings from producing and using recycled toilet paper. Gardening programs also reduce food costs, and energy and water conservation programs reduce costs as well.

Benefits of gardening

According to research on people-plant relationships and horticultural therapy, the act of caring for plants includes the qualities of responsibility, empathy, and discipline that also transfer to the interpersonal realm. By growing plants, people also “grow.” It has been this vein of “nurturing nature” that can strike a “deeply personal chord” with the grower. As Carl Lewis, a premier researcher on the topic stated: “The strength of gardening lies in nurturing. Caring for another living entity is a basic quality of being human.” [1]

From a theoretical perspective, “…interaction with nature is important for effective mental functioning, such as learning new information, performing complex tasks, or problem solving.” [2] Time outside offers a sense of balance and pride, can increase attention spans, foster creativity and lead to a renewed sense of community re-engagement.

Gardening in a variety of community settings—and the changes that occur to the community when the garden has been planted and maintained—also has been studied extensively in urban low-income housing areas, school communities, and in some prisons.

Indeed, from Catherine Sneed’s successful San Francisco Garden Program at San Bruno County Jail to the research conducted by the Insight Garden Program at San Quentin State Prison (see, The Impact of a Garden Program on the Physical Environment and Social Climate of a Prison Yard at San Quentin State Prison[3]), the research shows that gardens invite attention, use, and refuge; being in or near a garden reduces stress. Gardens provide “neutral” territory in a segregated prison yard. Gardeners gain benefits from directly working with nature, creating the possibility for hope and further change.

University of South Carolina and Birchwood School team up to Go Green

Sustainable Carolina, a student-based group at the University of South Carolina, is teaming up with the SC Department of Juvenile Justice’s (SCDJJ) Birchwood High School to provide activity-based learning opportunities for Birchwood School students. Through several short courses designed to introduce young people to the principles of green and sustainable practices, planners hope the youth will gain a new interest and respect for their environment. Staff at SCDJJ will plan green service activities, and Sustainable Carolina will build curriculum based on the specific activity.

This is the first of a proposed series of activity-based courses with a goal to help the students understand their role and opportunity in the green environment. Future courses are projected to include recycling, urban gardening, storm water recovery and water pollution, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources.

The first of these green activity-based courses will be Introduction to Composting. The first 45-minute session will include instruction by USC volunteers describing composting and how composting can benefit the environment at home, locally, and globally. The second session will be the activity – a hands-on workshop where the students will assemble composting bins either in the classroom or at an outside area planned for composting.

SCDJJ Food Service Composting Waste

Beginning in March 2013, the SCDJJ food service division partnered with Birchwood High to begin composting most food waste from the SCDJJ cafeterias in the Columbia, SC, area. The compost operation is designed to take food waste from the cafeteria and convert it into organic soil amendment for upcoming gardening projects around department grounds. Students at Birchwood who completed the Sustainable Carolina activity based curriculum, Introduction to Composting, designed and assembled a two bin composting system behind the cafeteria on the Broad River Road Complex (BRRC).

Sustainable Carolina is a student based group from the University of South Carolina that has established Green/Sustainable initiatives across the university campus. The group is working with co-author Aloysius “Mr. Green” Anderson, sustainability coordinator for the SCDJJ, to provide service/learning opportunities and activity-based curriculum for Birchwood students and SCDJJ staff on and off SCDJJ campus.

According to SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, SCDJJ is the only state agency composting or reusing food waste in a way that benefits the environment and state taxpayers. Composting at BRRC should divert 30 gallons per day of food waste from the landfill and save the department hundreds of dollars. 200 pounds of cafeteria compost was recently used when Birchwood HS JROTC cadets assisted “Mr. Green” with the construction of three large raised bed gardens located at the department’s Community Connections Center. The activity was part of the ongoing partnership with the University of South Carolina to provide “Green” activity based curriculum. With a small investment in time, SCDJJ is making a positive contribution to a growing waste problem, while at the same time avoiding increasing costs for soil amendments, landfill, and waste disposal fees.

SCDJJ Green Team Collects 8 Tons of E-scrap

The SCDJJ Green team also partnered with the town of Irmo, Lexington County Solid Waste, and the non-profit organization Keep the Midlands Beautiful, to collect nearly 8 tons of electronics for recycling. The electronics recycling event was held at the Crossroads Middle School in Irmo. The SCDJJ Green team was made up of juveniles and volunteer staff who worked alongside employees from Creative Recycling, Lexington County, and the town of Irmo assisting citizens dropping off electronic materials including: computers, stereo systems, TVs, printers, gaming systems, and more. Aloysius “Mr. Green” Anderson coordinated the green team event and used the outing as a training opportunity for the new group.

Among other developments, Creative Recycling has contacted Mr. Anderson to inquire about employment for members of the team who may be approaching release. “It is my intention to partner the Green team with industry professionals and employers, so that members will not only learn, but have the opportunity to network and showcase their work ethic and employability skills.” said Anderson.

More Research Needed

Although the National Institute of Corrections recently published its Greening of Corrections report, containing many useful statistics on the benefits of green jobs training in correctional settings, more specific research is needed to document specific benefits in juvenile programs and to identify exemplary programs and facilities that are currently in operation.

Links for Additional Reading

http://www.opterraenergy.com/case-studies/sonoma-county-juvenile-justice-center/

http://www.acgov.org/sustain/what/greenbuilding/jjc.htm

http://www.ojjdp.gov/newsletter/238981/sf_3.html

http://www.todayscampus.com/digital/ecovillages.pdf