FRANKLIN, Texas (KRHD) — A new program in Robertson County offers counseling and support to prevent future criminal behavior among nonviolent juvenile offenders.
- The program aims to offer alternate resources to give troubled youth a second chance.
- Some resources include mentoring and counseling services, support groups, educational seminars, and more.
- For more information about the "Youth Diversion Plan", click here.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"I don't think jail is a pleasant time for anybody, you know, and for young people less, so I just want better for them," Franklin resident Bobby Wimberly said.
The Robertson County Commissioners Court approved the "Youth Diversion Plan," a program designed to offer troubled teens a second chance.
"Keeping them out of the juvenile system," County Judge Joe David Scarpinato said. "It's a voluntary entrance into the program and, like I said, keeps them out of the criminal side of the system."
This program offers resources to provide early intervention and avoid future criminal behavior.
"You can get into trouble, and then once you go down this road, it's a hard road to get off of," Scarpinato said.
Bobby Wimberly has been ministering to adults at the county jail in Franklin for more than a decade.
"Through the years, I've gone to the jail because it bothered me that people could be in jail and not think that anybody cares what's happening to them," Wimberly said.
Wimberly told 15ABC that as a former teacher, he's seen a number of his former students end up in jail and wants to end that cycle.
"It is very depressing to me when kiddos that I've known in school wind up in jail, you know that I've dealt with them as just a student there, and then they wind up having to be in jail," Wimberly said.
The county judge hopes this program will provide much-needed support and a brighter future for troubled teens.
"Just a lot of these kids just unaware of what kind of trouble they're getting into or what they're doing, and just hopefully, by somebody reaching out to them, saying, here's what we have, here's what we have to offer," Scarpinato said.
