Bob Pence, 2000 CJJ National Chair, has written the preface to “The Hero Within: Healing Troubled Boys at Colorado Boys Ranch.” Written by Cynthia Quicksall Landsberg and Judith Pettibone and published by Fulcrum Publishing, “The Hero Within” tells the story of the Colorado Boys Ranch, a psychiatric residential treatment facility in rural La Junta, Colorado, that has helped thousands of troubled boys through integrated treatment that includes neuroscience, psychotherapy and an enriched learning environment.
Bob Pence’s preface highlights the landmark passage of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevent Act (JJDPA) in 1974 and its focus on treating youth differently from adults in the justice system and on the importance of prevention. The preface notes that more than half of all juveniles committed to juvenile facilities have diagnosable mental disorders and that many also suffer from substance abuse issues, and that recent discoveries in brain development research are leading to a new understanding of the adolescent brain. The preface concludes:
We cannot escape the fact that, for better or worse, like it or not, the kids of today will first weave and then become the fabric of tomorrow’s society. These youth include uncounted numbers of economically, mentally, and morally challenged juveniles who desperately need a second chance, right now. Families and communities offer the best venue for hope; love, care, and respect remain the best medicine, rather than confinement. Where there is no other real family, or when the family can no longer cope, sometimes the right medicine can best be found in a caring group home, youth village—or youth ranch.
Click [1] here to read the full preface.
Order copies of “The Hero Within” by e-mailing Bob Baron, President, Fulcrum Publishing, at [2] bob@fulcrumbooks.com.
[1]: http://juvjustice.org/media/resources//resource_204.pdf
[2]: mailto:bob@fulcrumbooks.com