Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 21, 1992 TAG: 9203210330
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Sean C. Word, 21, was ordered last year to the Shock Probation Program - a 13-week, military-style camp for young offenders - after he was convicted of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute.
But since he graduated last April with the program's first class, Word's adjustment to probation has "left much to be desired," probation officer Norbonne Berkeley testified Friday.
At a hearing in Roanoke Circuit Court, prosecutors said Word has violated his probation by failing to find a job and being convicted twice on charges of driving with a suspended operator's license.
But Word testified that he has stayed away from criminal activity while searching - diligently but unsuccessfully - for a job.
Judge Diane Strickland said she was disappointed in Word's progress so far, but stopped short of sending him to jail to serve his suspended five-year sentence.
Strickland continued Word's probation until September. Provided he completes 200 hours of community service and finds a job by then, Word may avoid having to serve a 120-day portion of his sentence.
When it began as a five-year pilot program last year, the Shock Probation Program was envisioned as a way to keep young, first-time offenders from a career of crime while teaching them discipline and motivation.
Officials said it's too early to say whether Word's progress - or lack thereof - is typical of the 120-some youths who have completed the program.
"It's so premature right now that I'd rather not say," said John Loving, an intensive-treatment officer at the Southampton boot camp. "But generally speaking, we've been pretty well satisfied with a lot of the results we have seen."
The program takes only non-violent offenders ages 18 to 24 who have no prior criminal records. Not everyone makes it through a 90-day program that in many respects is similar to military boot camp. Inmates live in spartan barracks and rise each morning at 5:30 for long days of drills, hard labor, education and counseling.
Graduates of the program are then placed on probation; those who do not make it go to jail.
While supporters of the boot camp say it will ease prison overcrowding and reduce recidivism, critics say it will have little effect on crowded prisons because judges often sentence offenders to the program as an alternative to probation.
Regional Drug Prosecutor Melvin Hill, who prosecuted Word, said the boot camp is a "good concept" but that 90 days may not be enough to be effective.
"The problem I see with it is that 90 days is really not long enough to turn somebody's life around," he said.
That may have been the problem in Word's case. While he did well in boot camp, earning his GED, the 21-year-old seemed to lose some motivation when he returned to Roanoke.
Word has not worked since he got out of camp, has sometimes missed meetings with probation officers, and has been convicted of several traffic charges. Terms of his probation require that he keep a job and break no laws.
While Hill acknowledged that Word's violations have been relatively minor, he still raised concerns about his lack of motivation.
"It apparently took everything out of him just to complete the boot camp program and he doesn't have any incentive left to find a job," Berkeley testified.
But Word testified how hard it is to find a job in today's economy - especially for a convicted crack dealer.
"I'm willing to work, but I can't be hired," he said. "I guess it's what I was convicted for. . . . I couldn't tell you how many applications I've filled out since I've been out of boot camp."
Jacqueline Talevi, an assistant public defender who represents Word, told Strickland that her client "needs something to get him motivated."
Strickland agreed that Word needs to make a "more concerted" effort to find a job. Boot camp officials said they, too, are following the case.
"It's very much in our interest to not only do what we can in the 13 weeks that they are here, but hopefully put them in a position to continue with what they have learned here," Loving said.
On the day he completed the boot camp, Word told a reporter that it had been a positive experience.
"If you come here, you know it's not cake and ice cream," he said then. "You hate to say it, but it's a good program. Everything had a purpose. You know it's helping you."
Some information in this story came from the Landmark News Service.
by CNB