The Lighthouse Youth Center at Paint Creek (LYC-PC) was established in 1986 as a three-year demonstration project with funds provided by the United States Department of Justice. From the beginning, and until recently, the Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS) provided all clients. Typically, clients are directed to the Center in lieu of placement at a traditional state-operated training school.

At the end of the three year demonstration period, ODYS began to provide a major portion of the financial support for the Center and has continued to support the program not only financially but in many other ways as well.

Location, Property and Structure

LYC-PC is located on 33 acres of property in western Ross County about 1 ½ miles northwest of the Village of Bainbridge. Bainbridge is situated on US Route 50, 18 miles west of Chillicothe and 20 miles east of Hillsboro.

The Center is located on the former site of the Valley Vista Sports Camp. The original seven structures were converted to accommodate the needs of the program. In 1998, an eight classroom modular school building was added. Since June 2001, the Center has built two new, state of the art residential halls – the 1st with 30 beds, the 2nd with 33 beds and both with large common areas. Combined, these buildings have 51 individual bedrooms and 6 bedrooms that accommodate 2 residents. The addition of these new residential halls has virtually eliminated the need to use the original structures for housing.

Remaining from the original site is a combination baseball diamond/football field and two tennis courts. Over the years, the facility had added four basketball courts, three volleyball courts and a track.

The southern portion of the property borders Paint Creek.

Admission Criteria

In order for a male adolescent to be admitted to Lighthouse Youth Center-Paint Creek he must meet the following criteria:

• Is between the ages of 15 and 18.
• Has been convicted of a felony 1 or 2 or is otherwise a serious and chronic offender. Clients involved in a capital crime are not candidates for admission.
• Has not been involved in a heinous crime with significant local publicity.
• Has been referred by ODYS or directly by a County Juvenile Court Judge with whom Lighthouse has a contractual arrangement.
• In the event that the youth has been committed to ODYS and is being referred by ODYS to LYC-PC, the committing Juvenile Court Judge must concur with the referred by recommending LYC-PC in the journal entry.

Security

LYC-PC has no high fences, razor wire, locked doors, etc. Security is achieved at the Center by maintaining a very structured program and constant staff presence. Except for boys who are in the final phase of the program, no resident is ever out of sight of a staff person. The rural setting and the size of the program contribute to the staff’s ability to secure residents. In 19 years, there has been an average of less than one attempted escape per year. There have only been 2 or 3 attempts that can be considered successful escape attempts.

All staff at LYC-PC are trained in the proper method of de-escalating difficult and out of control behavior- first by verbal intervention and, if necessary, by physical intervention. Staff rarely need to rely on physical restraints to gain control of difficult situations. Over the years, there have been 12 month blocks of time when physical restraints have not been necessary at all. Since the inception of LYC-PC in 1986, no staff person or youth has ever sustained serious injury as the result of a physical restraint, youth assault on another youth or youth assault on staff. Youth assaults on youth or youth assaults on staff are extremely rare events.

Program Philosophy

The rehabilitation process at LYC-PC is guided by the reality that there is such a thing as a world view which manifests itself in a criminal lifestyle. The symptoms are unmistakable- deviant thinking in combination with chronic and progressively more serious offending behaviors. LYC-PC specializes in treating very serious, male adolescent offenders. The assumption is that LYC-PC clients have already crossed the line- looking at the world from a criminal perspective and taking on the characteristics associated with a criminal lifestyle. As such, the entire therapeutic effort at LYC-PC is designed to deal with this deviant world view and lifestyle directly and straightforwardly.

LYC-PC takes the position that cessation of crime on the part of the offender is proportional to that person’s ability to substitute and internalize a new and wholesome way of thinking that affects feelings and emotional responses and ultimately impacts doing and acting. As such, all of the individual pieces of the program work toward bringing about a total transformation on the part of the juvenile offender.

The foundation of the program is based on Stanton Samenow’s “thinking errors” in combination with a peer helping/mentoring approach (EQUIP). Reality therapy and behavior modification are likewise interwoven into every aspect of the Center’s program.

Specialized Services

• Chemical Dependency Services

A high percentage of youth admitted to LYC-PC are either chemically dependent or are at high risk for becoming chemically dependent. In response to this need, LYC-PC has several certified chemical dependency counselors and, in 1997, became a certified chemical dependency program by meeting the program standards associated with The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS).

• Sex Offender Services

From the beginning, LYC-PC has been treating sex offenders. Typically, 50% of youth at LYC-PC are a felony one or two sex offenders. In response to this need, the Center has highly trained staff who specialize in dealing with this particular population.

Service Blending

Prior to addressing individual service components it is important to discuss the concept of service blending. As the philosophical tenants of the program are blended; so too are the services. Staff take the position that direct treatment services provided through group and individual sessions should carry over into all activities. As such, a major thrust of the treatment program is guiding clients toward integrating treatment concepts into everyday life at LYC-PC. Time spent in school, work, recreation, at meals and in interacting with staff and other youth offer youth endless opportunities to put treatment concepts into practice. Also, clients routinely get feedback throughout each day from staff and their peers alike on their progress on implementing treatment concepts. Essentially, treatment never stops at LYC-PC. It is intergraded with each and every activity. In addition, as each and every staff person at LYC-PC has security responsibilities so to does he/she have treatment responsibilities. No one is above carrying out these obligations – no one is absolved from them.

Program Components

• Group Process

  Central to the entire therapeutic process at LYC-PC are group sessions. These are held in each dormitory each day. In general, the preferred method of treatment at LYC-PC is group.

• Individual Sessions

  The primary vehicle used for rehabilitation and effecting change at LYC-PC is group process and group activity; however, LYC-PC recognizes that each boy has individual needs that require the assistance of an assigned individual staff person. Upon admission, each boy is assigned a case manager who works with him on all individual issues including family contacts, support for each boy in the process of developing his individualized treatment plan and communicating with the referring courts and ODYS regarding the boys progress.

• Education

  The Superintendent of Paint Valley Local School District, in cooperation with LYC-PC’s Program Director, oversees the education program at LYC-PC. LYC-PC has six full time teachers – four academic teachers, a Career Based Intervention Program (CBIP) teacher and one computer instructor.

  Although our boys are able to earn 5 high school credits per school year, since 1997, 74% of the boys completing the treatment program at LYC-PC returned to the community with a G.E.D. certificate. Given the few number of high school credits our boys have at admission and the typical age at discharge, a GED certificate makes the most sense for most boys.

  All boys at LYC-PC participate in computer training. There is a classroom that has been converted to a computer lab with 17 up-to-date computers. A full-time experienced computer instructor guides our boys through a comprehensive computer training curriculum. Most boys who successfully complete the treatment program at LYC-PC leave LYC-PC having completed the advanced level of the computer skills sufficient to make them competitive with youth of similar age in their community. All youth have the opportunity to achieve an IC3 certification that provides evidence of computer competency.

  The CBIP teacher prepares youth for the world of work. This teacher teaches job finding and job retention skills, life and social skills, consumer math and a broad range of other skills that make it possible for youth to survive and live in the world as it is. Associated with the CBIP program, is a work experience component. Each boy who is enrolled in the CBIP program (all youth who are within six months of release) are assigned to one of several workstations on the campus. Each boy receives a stipend and on the basis of his overall effort, both with regard to his work and school, is eligible for an increase in his stipend every eight weeks. Boys use their stipend to pay restitution, child support, make voluntary donations to victim groups and/or place it in a savings account at the local bank.

  In September 2004, staff at LYC-PC working in cooperation with officials from Southern State Community College added a college class to our academic program. Twelve boys who qualified were enrolled in the first college class ever offered on our campus. This experimental undertaking has become a standard option for our youth who qualify.

  New to our program in 2008 will be the addition of a horticultural program. Our youth are currently working with our Horticultural Specialist in collaboration with the Ross County Extension Office to construct a green house. This green house will allow us to grow our own produce that we will use for our own consumption as well as potentially market in the local farmer’s market. In addition to earning science lab credits, our boys will have the opportunity to learn how to develop and manage a produce business.

• Recreation and Leisure

  LYC-PC recognizes that the physical health is equally important in the overall well-being of the youth. All youth participate in a 30 minute exercise regime each day. These exercises are designed to tone the upper and lower body. An eighth mile track provides opportunity for cardio-vascular exercise as well. Each exercise regime if followed up by an hour of large muscle recreational activities. Our outdoor sporting facilities provide opportunities for such activities as flag football, basketball, soccer and softball to name a few.

  In addition to our outdoor facilities we have an indoor recreational area that provides leisure time activities in the form of ping pong, pool, air hockey and various video games. As of January 2008 we have a newly remodeled arts and crafts building. This building will allow us to enhance our already existing art program and will also expand to the use of a kiln for ceramic and pottery projects.

• Community Service & Reentry Activities

  Youth who are advanced in the program are eligible to participate in community service projects and reentry activities. As youth learn and internalize the program, they recognize that their deviant behavior led to serious infractions of the law resulting in the victimization of others. Community service is one means of providing youth with an opportunity to give something back to the community. Community service projects have included cleaning a local school building, assisting with books at book sales, washing dogs at the humane society and assisting the local senior citizen group by serving meals at the local festival. Our boys also are regular visitors at the local nursing home. In addition to community service projects, our youth become eligible to receive staff supervised activities. These activities include eating out at a local restaurant, going to the movies or bowling and attending local sporting events. All of these activities provide the youth an opportunity to engage in the community under the close supervision of the staff. We have found this to be very successful in helping youth test new skills learned in a less structured environment.

• Family Services

  Critical to the long-term success of the youth at Paint Creek is the ability of the family to provide the support to the youth both during his stay at the Center and afterwards. As such, the Center invests considerable resources in supporting and cultivating families towards wholesomeness. The family services program includes a family assessment conducted in the home of the family of the youthful offender within 21 days of admission. Also, families participate in family support groups that meet on visitation days, which occur twice each month. In addition, each family is urged to participate in a quarterly session with the youth, his case manager and group leader. These quarterly treatment plan review sessions are for the purpose of assessing the youth’s progress during the most recent 90 days, for establishing the youth’s objectives for upcoming quarter and for discussing the youth’s other short and long term goals. Since our boys have family members that live all over the state we make every effort to assist families in full participation in our program. In addition to providing free housing for them on site we also assist with transportation needs. As our youth near completion of the program they become eligible to participate in 4 hour staff supervised home visits to begin reintegration to their home environments. During these visits the youth, his family and the case manager will discuss potential risk factors and review his relapse prevention plan.

Recidivism

Since its inception in 1986, LYC-PC has been subject of several outcome studies. The Rand Corporation, University of Cincinnati and Virginia Commonwealth University have all been involved. Consistently, youth completing the program at LYC-PC have recidivated at the rate of less than one-half that of traditional institutions. The most recent study done in July 2007 indicated a 16% recidivism rate.

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