Troubled Teens Resources

Teens at risk typically do not wake up one morning and rob their neighbor. There is a long road a troubled teen must travel before their life degenerates into that of a thief, or worse, a murderer. But it is a road usually fueled by addiction and addiction usually starts innocently enough. A joint here, a small dime bag there, troubles at home, troubles at school - for emotionally immature teens, all of these factors can rapidly snowball to stimulate more drug use, robberies to support the drug abuse, and the beat goes on, we all know this too common tale.

“Cory Miller is a 17-year old inmate. Last year, he was charged as an adult for two armed robberies and sentenced to six years. Today instead of just serving time, he’s taking the time to tell teens how to stay out of trouble. Miller says, “Trying to meet them and help them see that the streets and all the crime ain’t worth it. It’s going to amount to being here.”

Ironically, Miller was in this same classroom four years ago, listening to an inmate tell him how to stay out of jail. He didn’t listen. Plotkin says, “Unfortunately he made some wrong choices and ended up exactly where that inmate was, he saw, as a youngster.”

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Though parents often cringe at the idea of schools for troubled teens, a jail sentence is far more severe. If you suspect that your teenager is going rapidly down that road to crime and addiction, start doing your research into troubled teen boarding schools that will offer your teen the detour he needs to take before he takes that road directly to jail.