Chris' Story
It’s rare to see the fruit of your effort until years later when you accidentally run into a former youth that you met on the inside as a teenager. Now that kid has a family, is involved in a local church and is investing in troubled youth themselves. So, when I saw Chris on the inside again and learned that he is married with a child and investing back into a specific group of youth before he got locked up again, I was a little bit skeptical.
Chris was an offender at the age of fourteen and had completed treatment and his commitment. He had served his sentence and was out of the facility. The statistic you need to know is that 98% of juvenile sex offenders (under the age of 18) in the Division of Youth Corrections never re-offend. However, 98% of sex offenders over the age of eighteen do re-offend. So there is great success in the area of rehabilitation with youth sex offenders.
Chris, now 20 years old, went before a judge for reconsideration and was able to get his name off the sex offender registry since it was a juvenile offense, however when he moved cities, another county judge disagreed and, because he didn’t register in that city, he was sent back to jail. This hasn’t dampened Chris’ spirits or his desire to help other youth that have offended. He regularly coaches/mentors youth who struggle with what he struggled with since he is back on the inside for a miscommunication. His relationship with Christ is his foundation and his hope for living a grace filled life…completely loved!
[Chris is not his real name, but Chris is a real person who found new life in Christ through the ministry of DAYFC!]