Juvenile correctional officer/follow-up to the younger vs older generation?

Question

I worked as a j.c.o. at the Marlin juvenile facility in Marlin,tx.,and the incidents/crimes that these young people committed were horrible as well as heart wrenching,which in turn condition my mind to distrusting of youths today,so that's why i asked the earlier question and need some quality answers.

Answer 1

Well, brother, the first thing to do is this: Look at people as individuals, not groups. If you go around thinking, "I distrust all young people," then you are prejudging/stereotyping all young people, and you aren't going to be able to look at individuals on a case-by-case basis.

Because the fact is this: Individuals commit crimes. Individuals do horrible and heart-wrenching things. And these individuals can be young, middle age, or old, depending on the person.

In other words, why do you distrust ALL young people because of SOME young people's crimes, but you don't distrust ALL middle-aged people because of SOME middle-aged people's crimes? It doesn't make sense. There are plenty, plenty of adults in and out of prison who have done horrible things too.

So, say I just automatically distrust YOU because I distrust all JCOs? You'd be like, "Um, but all JCOs are different. Some are smarmy, some are corrupt, some are straight and narrow, some are very sensitive and diligent...."

Get my point?

All that said, maybe you live in a place that has a lot of youth gang violence and whatnot. Perhaps you reside where there is a disproportionate amount of young people who commit violent crimes. Who knows? But if this is the case, do know that there are plenty of places all over the world where many young people are well behaved and aren't violent criminals.

I don't know what else to tell you apart from this. You mentioned prayer in your other question. You could pray for the ability to deal with people as people, on a case-by-case basis.

Answer 2

Sounds to me like you have put up a wall of prejudice towards these people. Keep in mind there several adults who have committed heinous crimes as well. If we all started making judgements about a whole group of people based on the actions of a very small percentage we could find a reason to have hard feelings towards anyone. As far as the idea that children today are more disrespectful I have noticed that but I also noticed it is because the adults today do not teach them the respect that we were taught. Children will learn what they are taught. So the real question for me is why aren't parents parenting today. There is a big break down in family values when that happens you are seeing what the results will be. As for how to bridge that gap I try to be understanding and not judgemental. Talk to them on there level in a caring but firm way. You would be amazed to find out what these kids go through. Give them some ideas of better ways to handle difficult situations. Alot of them don't have anyone who will listen and offer advice without judging or trying to control them. Remember when you were a teenager you thought you knew everything and could do it on your own. Just remind them it is not working out so well so maybe they may want to consider trying something else the next time and give them some honest ideas and listen to there responses. What they need is guidence and love. I have found that there are a few JERKS but for the most part they don't know any better and like the rest of us they are just doing the best they can with what they have. The most important thing is not to lecture but to listen, then offer advice, listen again and then explain.
For example:
My daughter went to school with a girl who kept getting in fights. I really didn't want my daughter hanging out with troublemakers so I told her I didn't think this girl was a good choice as a friend. My daughter said mom she is a good person she does some stupid things sometimes. So I invited the girl over and started to talk to her. She said that the kids were teasing her about her mom working as a bartender and that her family had told her not to let anyone talk bad about your mother so she would fight them everytime they did. I told her well it doesn't seem to be working out for you. Now they talk about your mom's work and your attitude. It makes you look bad and makes people think you are just a bully. She said she knew that but just couldn't let them make fun of her mom. I told her to think of it like this. Her mom may be working at the bar but at least she is keeping a roof over her head and feeding her. She is not a drug addict. She is trying hard to raise her and that is something to be proud of. She is not doing anything wrong. So the next time they say something just tell them. Yes she does and you know what I appreciate the fact that she is willing to do that for me and my sister to make sure we are taking of. She doesn't like it either but she does it because she love us. She said she would try it. It didn't make everyone quit teasing her but it did make her some new friends and the ones that were teasing her still were ignored by everyone until they finally shut up.