August 14, 2000
Next month, while most students exchange stories of vacation excursions and poolside relaxation, 10 Montclair State students will watch their friends' eyes widen when they tell them they were fingerprinted this summer.
The students aren't in trouble with the law. Just the opposite. All are Justice Studies students volunteering in the Paterson Village Initiative, a program aimed at reducing recidivism among juvenile offenders.
The program is one of several in counties statewide sponsored by the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission as part of its Aftercare/Parole Services, which works in partnership with youths, families and communities to improve opportunities for the personal development and competency of each youth.
When David Dodd of Sociology, academic adviser for the Justice Studies program, was contacted by the Commission's Passaic County office for student volunteers, he saw the opportunity for a win-win situation.
"It works like a Big Brother/Big Sister Program," he explained. "Our students become mentors to juveniles on parole. The juveniles benefit by establishing a relationship with our students, and our students get the opportunity to learn more about these kids in the system and see how a major state agency works. It has a lot of possibilities."
The students fingerprinted this summer will go through an orientation/training program next week before being paired with juveniles in the program.
Graduate student Nydia DeJesus,who is coordinating the program at Montclair State and also is a volunteer, looks forward to the experience. "It's exciting to be involved in a project in which I'll not only get an insider's view of the juvenile justice system, but also make a difference in a young person's life."