LISA PORTER
Staff Writer
The Pepperdine tutoring program at Camp David Gonzales is in danger of being replaced because it does not meet the requirements to receive federal funding.
The “Time to Read” literacy program matches inmates at Camp David Gonzales with Pepperdine students who help them learn to read. However, because the program has not been sanctioned by the federal government as “evidence-based,” the youth delinquency camp will no longer receive federal funding unless it changes its programs.
“The programs we already have here are in danger of being scuttled,” said Tom Kratochvil, supervising deputy probation officer at Camp David Gonzales, who received his master’s degree from Pepperdine. “We will be forced to use the evidence-based programs because the probation program needs money from the federal government.”
Evidence-based programs have been proven effective in reducing crime and delinquency, according to the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act. The JJCPA requires any juvenile justice plan to be approved and marked as “evidence-based” before receiving government funding.
The “Time to Read” program at Camp David Gonzales has not yet been tested.
Kratochvil shook his head at the thought of losing Time to Read, one of the programs established in the 25 years during which Pepperdine has been involved with Camp David Gonzales. Time to Read is a partnership between Pepperdine and the Time Warner corporation.
The program is student-run by sophomore Elias Garcia under the advice of Dr. Jon Johnston, professor of sociology and anthropology. Every Monday evening, 18 Pepperdine students from a sociology class volunteer at the camp, helping the inmates learn to read.
The camp is named for World War II hero David Gonzales, who died in battle while freeing fellow soldiers who were trapped from a bomb explosion. Gonzales received the Medal of Honor and other awards posthumously and stands as a role model for those inside the camp. Today the all-male camp holds more than 100 16 to 18-year-old inmates.
Although Time to Read is not considered an evidence-based program, both the tutors and inmates deem it a beneficial one.
“The guys, they feel like they aren’t a part of society because they don’t know how to read,” Garcia said. “They can’t see a way out of it, [and then] this program came about, and I want to see it succeed.”
Kratochvil agreed. “Reading engages them in world events and gets them thinking past the neighborhood and gangs,” he said.
Although the inmates are not allowed to speak much about their own personal lives and crimes because of legal reasons, they did say they like the program. One inmate, John (not his real name), said reading will help him achieve his goal of getting a job once he is released from the camp.
“I like it,” John said about Time to Read. “Reading helps me to learn stuff.”
While it can’t be used to justify their crimes, which collectively include robberies, car thefts and gang crimes, many inmates said they feel trapped in their environments. Some spoke of plans to leave the area, or California altogether, when they are released from Camp David Gonzales.
Senior Lisa Sterling said the student she tutors understands that going back to his old neighborhood would only make him fall back into gangs and crime. She cited lack of responsible role models as a major problem.
“A lot of these guys are really, really bright,” Sterling said. “By coming in here week after week we show them that it’s possible to have responsibility, to change your life, and that it’s possible to start over.”
Sterling and Garcia both said part of the reason they believe the Pepperdine program is so successful is that it involves peer tutoring. They said the inmates open up because they can relate to students and look forward to the weekly visits.
Sterling said she’s afraid that if an outside party were to replace the Time to Read program with a different evidence-based one, the Pepperdine tutors would no longer be able to relate to the young men in the camp.
“The minors want to impress us [because we are their age],” Sterling said. “If the feds come in, they might not get people to tutor them who are the same age as the minors, and then the minors won’t respect them.”
Kratochvil said he believes the locality of Pepperdine is a major reason for the success of the program.
“Pepperdine is five minutes away,” he said. “An upscale university along with a huge scale corporation is the best of both worlds; we’re a partner in the community.”
There is a chance Time to Read will be allowed to continue. If an existing program, like Time to Read, is submitted to the government and demonstrated to be effective, then the state funds could be used to further the program, according to the Web site for JJCPA. The success of the program is clear to those involved, but the question remains whether the federal government will recognize it as an evidence-based program.
“We’ve got to try our best,” Kratochvil said. “It’s our job to encourage the kid who wants to learn.”
11-08-2007
