NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Inside the Juvenile Justice Center, they know all too well that life can be the furthest thing from a game.
"For us, it's really important that we teach them how to find better role models [and] better friends that will lead them on a better path," Judge Shelia Calloway with the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center told News 2. "These are our high-risk youth. The youth that needs the most structure and the most help to make sure that they go the right way."
Inside the Juvenile Justice Center, they explained that sometimes, the crime doesn't match the suspect.
"When you read what they did and you meet them, it's unbelievable. You can't imagine this kid doing this crime, but I think it's because they have hope. There is an opportunity for them," Shellis Hampton, a supervisor of the High-Risk Gang Unit, said.
According to a grant application, between April 2023 and March 2024, nearly 2,000 teens were arrested and brought to the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center. Of those, 11.5% were considered "high-risk." Metro Council approved a $450,000 grant that will be used to provide mental health services and mentorship programs for those youth through the Gang Resistance and Intervention Program (GRIP).
"It is a program specifically dedicated to our highest-risk juveniles who are out on probation," explained Hampton. "A lot of these youth are on their last opportunity to remain out in the community."
In a span of a year, the GRIP team had over 3,000 interactions with high-risk youth, with 65 referrals since 2022. Of those referrals, 94% of the youth seen had a prior delinquent history.
"These are our youth that are in our community, that really need support and so we want to give them the most support that we can," Calloway said.
The High-Risk GRIP Court Program will offer a range of programs, including:
- The REAL Program: an 8-week initiative focusing on nurturing leadership skills and facilitating open, candid discussions among youth.
- Pathways Kitchen: a program centered around culinary arts training, social skill enhancement and workforce readiness.
- Monroe Harding Youth Success Workshop: a 3-day workshop focusing on money management, job preparedness, and fostering healthy relationships.
Additionally, mental health services through Youth Villages and Health Connect America will be offered.
"Typically, they are only on probation for six months," Hampton said. "Our goal in six months is not to completely change their life, but it's to allow them to continue on with the tools that we have put in place so that when they are no longer on probation and they don't have a probation officer they are constantly meeting with weekly, they can still reflect."
The Juvenile Court expects to roll out the program, which has a capacity of 40 "high-risk" teens, in January 2025.