Sen. Gordon Smith went to jail on Monday.
Smith, R-Ore., toured the new John Serbu Youth Campus at the Lane County Juvenile Justice Center Monday afternoon, while supporting the programs and facilities as integral parts of giving people a second chance after making mistakes.
“I believe in being tough on crime,” Smith said. “But I also believe in giving people a chance to change.”
The tour was a preview of the new facilities before they are officially dedicated next week.
The new campus contains drug and alcohol treatment centers, as well as the main building which houses the juvenile court, the detention center and several offices. Linda Wilson, a supervisor with the Justice Center, described the move as an effort to centralize all the juvenile services.
They moved in just more than a month ago, leaving behind facilities down the street that were dark, dilapidated and small, said Stephen Carmichael, director of the Department of Youth Services.
“It’s been like night and day for us,” he said.
Smith’s tour of the campus is part of a larger effort to pass a juvenile justice bill, to which he and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., added an amendment that would detain any student who brings a gun to school for a minimum of 24 hours.
Smith praised the new facilities as evidence that the local community cares about its members enough to provide them with a second chance. He added that it was the people involved more than the building itself who were making the real difference in turning kids back onto the right path.
“At the end of the day, bricks and mortar are not the answer,” he said. “Much more important than the structure is the lives and people involved.”
Another reason Smith had for visiting the campus is using what he saw to discuss his efforts in reducing drug abuse. Following this goal, he spent some of his time speaking with 12 teenagers enrolled in Pathways, a residential drug and alcohol treatment program on the campus.
To relate to the youths, the senator told an anecdote about a youth counselor who helped him during his more rebellious days. The counselor, who was a former Navy pilot, had these words of wisdom for Smith: “Don’t fly in the trees.”
The words meant something more than a literal translation would provide; Smith said his counselor was teaching him that thrills may be fun, but they are not worth enough to risk your life.
“He was trying to teach me, ‘Look, Smitty, don’t fly in the trees. It may seem exciting, but it’s really dangerous; you may kill yourself,’” Smith said. “Life is much less complicated if you fly above the trees.”
Through this story, Smith was reiterating the message he had been repeating throughout: People have the right to make decisions, but they do not have the right to choose what the consequences of those decisions will be.
The teenagers’ attention was caught by the story, but they also wanted Smith to explain his visit. A few even questioned Smith’s motives as a politician for being there. Others, however, praised him for caring about the campus and the program.
One shared his own experiences with the senator.
Andrew Rofinot, 17, has been in the program for almost six months and is set to graduate Wednesday. Overall, he said he gained a lot of good skills that will make him a productive member of society, even acquiring his GED in the process. Rofinot compared his experience in the new campus facilities to the old building.
“The staff are working a lot more with kids and stuff,” he said. “They treat you well here. They help you out a lot.”
Rofinot came to the program voluntarily once he realized that he had a drug abuse problem, and was happy with his decision.
“I didn’t come here because I had to,” he said. “I came here because I wanted to.”
Smith praised the facility’s aesthetic qualities, but said that what goes on inside the walls is what’s really important.
“If this place can teach you anything,” Smith said, “it’s to teach you that there are good choices and there are bad choices.”
Senator tours Lane County youth campus
Daily Emerald
April 17, 2000
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