FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2010

ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO ANNOUNCES
COLLEGE LEVEL COURSES ARE BEING OFFERED AT
THE ESSEX COUNTY JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER

Six Students Will Receive College Credit from Essex County College

Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. joined Essex County Juvenile Detention Center Director Charles Green recently to announce that students at the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center are enrolled in a college level course being offered by Essex County College. The college level Sociology course is currently being offered to six post-secondary students for the Spring 2010 term. Students who successfully pass the course will earn three credits from Essex County College.

“At the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center, we work diligently to ensure that the youth in our facility receive a good education and, are provided with the necessary skills to excel in their future endeavors, either school or the workforce. We are excited about the students who are currently enrolled in the course this spring and we look forward to more students taking advantage of this opportunity,” DiVincenzo said. “I commend Director Green, Sojourn High School and Essex County College for coming together to offer our young residents this opportunity. It is another example of why our Juvenile Detention Center is the best in the State,” he added.

“Having the ability to offer college courses is something we are all proud of at the Juvenile Detention Center. This opportunity allows these young adults to leave the facility in a better position than when they arrived, armed with new knowledge and credentials that will help them succeed in their futures,” said Essex County Juvenile Detention Center Director Charles Green.

“We are pleased to be able to offer a college course in conjunction with Essex County College,” Essex Regional Educational Services Commission Superintendent/Sojourn High School Principal Dr. Jacqueline A. Young said. “Many of our students have earned a high school diploma and have the ability to do collegiate work while remaining in the Juvenile Detention Center,” she added.

The Essex County Juvenile Detention Center worked with the Essex Regional Education Services Commission to begin offering college level courses to students through Sojourn High School at the Detention Center in Newark in January 2010. The course meets four times a week in lecture and recitation formats. All of the students have earned their high school diplomas or have passed the GED exam while at Sojourn High School. To further support future academic advancement, the students also take English and math courses, which are designed to prepare them for entry level college courses. Plans are being made for more course offerings for the upcoming Summer and Fall semesters.

The Essex County Juvenile Detention Center has an 8,000 book library on site and is the only detention facility in the State to offer a full 6 ½ hour school day for detainees. Sojourn High School (SHS) is an alternative education program designed to serve both classified and non-classified at-risk students. Established in 1997, the program provides students with an alternative to traditional educational experience and maintains a low student to staff ratio. Sojourn High School consists of middle and high school students who have been pre-adjudicated, exhibit chronic discipline problems, and are in danger of not graduating. Students earn credits toward graduation by documenting skills demonstrated and proficiencies mastered. The SHS curriculum is based on the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and the student’s Individual Program Plan (IPP) or Individual Educational Program (IEP). The school considers the interests, specific skills and life goals of all students in the instructional design.