I. Mission Statement
It is the goal of the Mary Davis
Home to work in conjunction with educational institutions and assist students
in completing their academic requirements by providing them the opportunity to
complete an internship. The sole purpose of this internship program is to
better educate and indoctrinate students into the field of juvenile justice and
provide an understanding of the social problem of juvenile delinquency.
II. Requirements of Internship
Internships are available for all semesters: spring, summer, and fall.
It is understood the number of hours required by an
internship is mandated by the department from which the student is majoring
in. However, internships for the Mary
Davis Home must have a minimum of two hundred (200) hours. Anything less than this is not acceptable
because it would not give the student a full understanding of the Mary Davis
Home or the field of juvenile corrections.
III. Expectations of Interns
As a Mary Davis Home intern, the individual will be expected
to:
1. Abide by the rules of conduct governing all employees,
copies of which will be provided to them.
2. Follow the rules regarding confidentiality and understand
that the names of juveniles cannot be mentioned outside the facility.
3. Converse with staff regarding all observable client
behavior and make an entry in the shift log regarding such behavior.
4. Complete all tasks assigned in regards to group
activities and teaching curriculums.
IV. Program Objectives
The following areas of specialization and services are
provided by the Mary Davis Home and will be covered during the internship.
1. Detention Level Clients
2. Program Clients
3. Counseling Techniques
4. Programmatic Activities
5. Classroom/Life Skills
6. Transportation
V. Detention Level Clients
Clients awaiting detention,
pre-trial and sentencing hearings are non-program clients. Their stay can range from hours to months,
depending on alleged crime and their progression through the court system. These individuals are to abide by
rules/conditions as set forth in the Detention Level Program (
DLP)
Handbook, which is given to all incoming clients.
After an orientation period,
interns will be expected to write behavioral observations on
DLP
daily scores as well as in the daily behavioral log. They will also be expected, to participate in
staff discussions regarding client’s behavior and the needed rewards or
consequences that must follow. Interns
will do this only when they have a full understanding of the counseling
techniques, rules regarding client's behavior, and the expectations of
the Mary Davis Home.
VI. Program Clients
Much like the standards for DLP
clients, after the orientation period, interns will have the opportunity to sit
in on counseling sessions or “check-ins”.
They will be assigned to one, if not two, counselors. They will be expected to shadow these
counselors, observe check-ins, and follow the progress of those clients through
the program. When possible, they will
also go to court with that client.
Interns will have the opportunity to involve themselves in
other programs within the facility. We
have Gender Specific Group on separate nights as well as Evening Education
Classes on Thursdays. Topics vary but
clients have the chance to challenge one another and learn from their mistakes.
VII. Counseling Techniques
Currently, we use Reality Therapy, which was developed by
William Glasser in the late 1960’s. The
basis of this therapy is that everyone has choices in their behavior and should
be held accountable. Counseling staff
challenge clients to look at the “reality” they are in and determine the
choices they have before them. The
challenge continues in that, the counselors, through questions, get the client
to think
about the choices and come
to a conclusion as to which one has a positive outcome.
During the calendar year 2005, new therapies and counseling
techniques will be introduced to further assist clients in building better
lives. Both Cognitive Therapy and
Restorative Justice will be examined in order to develop stronger decision
making and problem solving skills, as well as develop empathy toward their
victims and a sense of community spirit.
VIII. Classroom/Life Skills
The classroom within the Mary Davis Home is part of District
#205 in Galesburg, Illinois. Classroom
instruction is a key element during the daily routine. An intern’s participation in activities,
individualized instruction, physical education activities and perhaps solo instruction for a particular
topic will be immensely rewarding.
For one reason or another, some clients are not enrolled in
school. When this happens, they then
participate in Life Skills. Although not
accredited, this program is developed to educate clients on various
topics. The subjects addressed vary
depending on the presenter. Interns will
be expected to participate and eventually present a topic.
IX. Transportation Program
The Mary Davis Home holds transportation contracts with
twenty counties in the State of
Illinois. We are responsible for the transportation of
youth to all court proceedings. In addition to this, we transport to
psychological evaluations, doctor appointments, and the Department of
Corrections. Interns will be requested
to assist Transportation Officers on their trips. This will allow the intern to gain a greater
insight of the court process.
X. Evaluations
Evaluation of an intern’s performance will be completed as
mandated by the educational institution’s policy. The evaluation will be discussed among the
upper management and supervisory, mid management staff. A copy of that evaluation will then stay in
the interns file at the Mary Davis Home.
Any violation of policy will be noted and depending of the severity of
the conduct, we reserve the right to terminate the internship. Performance that exceeds expectations will
benefit an intern as well. A large
majority of interns, eventually, are hired on as line staff.