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The Regina Leader-Post

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Youth find music after prison



By Linda Nguyen, Canwest News Service February 8, 2010


For a few hours each week, five teenage boys who usually hear more about criminal records than making records, get a taste of what it's like to be part of Canada's hip-hop industry.

The Rebirth program, launched last month at the Brookside Youth Centre in Cobourg, Ont., is meant to show these boys -- many of whom are reoffenders -- there is life beyond jail and the streets.

"I wanted to show them a positive outlook where they're more worried about pushing their music instead of landing back in jail," said Toronto rapper Rochester -- who helped start the program along with youth advocacy group The 411 Initiative for Change.

"These kids know I can understand what they are going through. I'm not making a million dollars yet, but I've got a moderate amount of respect and it's something they can aspire to."

Some of the boys, who range in ages from 14 to 18, have been at the Brookside centre for two years.

So far, the 10-week pilot project has recorded enough success to garner attention from the Ontario government.

According to Statistics Canada, there are an average of 1,898 youth in custody across the country on any given day.

This rate has declined steadily since 1995.

Last year, Ottawa announced its plan -- which have yet to be implemented -- to lower the age when adult sentences come into effect, to 14 from 16.

Louise Nadeau, Brookside Secondary School's vice-principal, said that through the program, the boys are learning that doors will open for them, if they try.

"It's just been amazing. The kids are totally engaged," she said. "They are learning that there are so many other aspects to the music industry that can be rewarding. We're instilling in them that you don't have to be a rapper. We're exposing them to huge potential here."

Each week, the program brings in a different speaker to talk about various aspects of the music industry.

The visitors have included a DJ who has worked with rap star Nas, a sound engineer, a college marketing and distribution professor, and a journalist.

The 60 boys at the facility are there for a variety of crimes ranging from break-and-enter to serious assault.

"These are just kids. They go down the hall laughing. And I think 'My God, they're in jail,' but they're just kids," Nadeau said. "We're not naive. We know that if they go back to their own neighbourhoods, they're going back to drugs and gangs. That's why it's absolutely crucial that they leave here with the skills they didn't come in with."

Alternative in-custody programs are popping up in youth jails across the country.

At the end of February, the Nova Scotia Youth Facility in Waterville, N.S., is slated to put on an art show with original work created by inmates.

One of the pieces is an animated film by a visiting British director, worked on by the youth at the centre for the past 10 weeks.

Mike Sampson, deputy superintendent of programming at the facility, said the centre has also had success with a circus school twice a year that is taught by a Cirque du Soleil performer.

"When these youth are on the outside, they're into anti-social activities," he said. "We want them to learn how to work in a group, depend on each other to succeed. We want to hopefully divert them to social activities outside of their circle that don't involve crime, violence or drugs."

In Saskatchewan, there are a number of programs that target the large aboriginal youth population in the provincial prison system.

Bob Kary, the executive director of young offender programs, said inmates are encouraged to study First Nations artwork, traditional dancing, and to talk to elders on-site who help with counselling and spiritual healing.

Youth-crime expert Nick Bala cautioned that even though alternative programming in youth jails seem to be working, it's difficult to tell whether lower recidivism rates are due to other mitigating factors.

He cited the failure of youth boot camp facilities in Ontario as an example.

"There's been a lot of faddism going on," said Bala, a law professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

"We have to stop and think about the population we're working with, whether it's going to be cost-effective, and be aware that if we're trying something experimental, it is actually going to have a positive effect on recidivism."

Bernard Richard, a New Brunswick ombudsman and child and youth advocate, said provincial governments still need to learn how to effectively work the Youth Criminal Justice System.

"The act allows for a lot of flexibility through the court," said Richard. "We need to learn how to divert youth away from the classic justice system of crime and punishment."

In December, his office received $100,000 from the federal government to determine how to better help young offenders -- many of whom also are dealing with psychological and mental issues.

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