We have focused on the Kootenai County Jail and services that are offered to prisoners through the chaplain and volunteer chaplains. Chaplain Rick and his group exclusively work in the adult area of the jail.

We interviewed people involved in programs offered to prisoners upon their release and assistance with addiction. When you drive past the facility you also notice that there is the Juvenile Detention Center, which holds youths from Kootenai and four surrounding counties.

An interesting study of the juveniles incarcerated in Idaho shows that nearly 60 percent reported at least one parent who has been or is incarcerated. Over half also reported that at least one sibling has had at least some justice system involvement. Nearly half of the juveniles reported living in a single-parent household, which is twice the rate of Idaho children generally.

We turned to an interview with Chaplain Jeff Cheeseborough, a youth advocate and works in community outreach to area youths. The county contracts with Jeff to work on juvenile probation outreach to youths on probation, and young people detained at the Juvenile Detention Center.

Jeff, what is your background and how did you get into this position?

I’ve been doing this for over 36 years, the majority of the time in North Idaho, but I started in California as a Juvenile Detention staff member. My career has been working exclusively with youth and their families, but mainly with those who are incarcerated or on probation. However, we also do a lot of outreach to reach juveniles before they are in trouble.

This seems overwhelming. Who works with you in this effort?

We have eight associate chaplains, most are volunteers, and we are in the process of adding another Youth Advocate, similar to what I do. I need to continue to build a team that will be there when I retire.

What are the numbers that you are facing and the job ahead?

We average around 30-35 in detention and about one-third are female. We work each week with 53 young people in our community right now and 26 are “new” while 20 of the 53 are female. Even though we have youth from other counties, 94 percent are from Kootenai County.

We also reach out to youth with school presentations and have done over 1,600 presentations since 1997. Nearly 3,000 have heard our message each year. We want to educate young people about the hope of being able to change, embracing healthy lifestyles and staying away from decisions that can ruin their lives.

We have interviewed so many other ministries and hear over and over that the basic problem is broken families. What is your opinion of this?

We see this as the basic problem. It is heartbreaking to see the pain that many of these young people go through in their home life. Two-thirds of the juveniles in our detention center will not get a visit from a parent. They have experienced a lot of pain and unfortunately are searching for pleasure in the wrong places. They seek drugs, pornography and other risky behaviors as an escape from the trauma in their lives.

Jeff, we know that the county funds only a portion of your ministry. What are your needs that you would like to communicate to our readers?

We see a need for mentors for young people. They need guidance and a direction for their lives. We would love to see a program for young people and mentoring service provided by college students. We are working towards that. We would love to see a residential program for some situations, or drop-in center. We need families restored and we know that the only change takes place through the power of Jesus Christ and real change in a life.

Finally, we are always in need of funding for our program. We have an annual fundraising banquet and the next one will be Feb. 1 at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Jeff, thanks for all you do! If people want to contact you or help financially, how do they reach you?

My email is [email protected] or call 208-660-3168 or look at our website: juvenilejusticeoutreach.com