Juvenile Detention Center Ministry

Who We Are

Fresh Start Ministries provides a Youth Minister to the Linn County Juvenile Detention Center

The Youth Minister spends on average 20 hours a week with the youth at the Linn County Detention Center.

What brings a youth to the Juvenile Detention Center?

Both violent and non-violent crimes are what leads the youth to the Juvenile Detention Center.

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention which use published FBI data, shows that the juvenile crime rate has been in decline ever since 2000, which had the highest crime rate recorded amongst teens.

Several underlying problems contributing to youth arrests is believed to be family influences within broken homes, negatively affected by the lack of proper parenting, drug and alcohol abuse, economic weakness, and domestic violence are causes that lead to juvenile delinquency.

Describe what kind of activities, discussions you do with the youth?

We have taken a simplistic approach with the activates we’ve incorporated. We watch inspiring movies with open discussions. Asking what is their:

Perception
Hope
Remedy

Self Help Books

We read as a group self-help books w/worksheets. We share biblical stories (that reveals adversities, hope, and actions which results in favorable outcomes), there are several different activates that attributes to fundamental and foundational behaviors that target principles focusing on holistic accountability, “loving one’s neighbor as one’s self.”

What are the goals for your interactions with the youth?

The goal is for the youth to have an experienced and trusted adviser, someone to hold them accountable for their own choices and behavior.

WHAT KINDS OF SEEDS DO YOU HOPE TO PLANT IN THEM DURING YOUR INTERACTIONS?

Although seed planting is very important, I have identified that (according to scripture) “The fruit tree is yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself”. Meaning, that it’s already present and planted. Our job is to water the ground in expanding on character and confidence building, which produces sustainability of life skills.