R.E.A.D.Y. Program

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The R.E.A.D.Y (Richland County, Educating, and Deterring Youth) Program is another tool to assist in reducing delinquent behavior concerning young citizens. This program gives students, ages thirteen to sixteen, an opportunity to stay overnight in jail. It gives them a chance to see what it is like to truly be incarcerated and behind bars for more than a few hours. They are outfitted in a jail jumper, transported by the Sheriff’s Department transport vehicle, and have to follow most of the same rules that inmates are required to follow. They provide the young men and women with the full experience of an inmate in Richland County’s Sherriff’s Department. The Sherriff’s Department believes that while this experience may be rather shocking to some of the youth, it will serve as a meaningful, educative, and rehabilitative experience. This mission is achieved by giving the participants a chance to talk with their staff Child Psychologist, who shares with them some positive reinforcement about life and encourages them to make the right decisions. The night ends with a round table discussion that lends the students an opportunity to talk about the issues that are concerning them.