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Contributed commentary by state Rep. Ronnie Glynn on veteran treatment and juvenile courts.

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of attending two events at the Montgomery County Courthouse. The first one was the Veteran Treatment Court graduation for over 20 veterans who had made a mistake and were given a second chance to make things right. As each veteran came up to the podium, they gave a speech on how VTC had changed their lives – not just their own lives, but their families’ lives as well. They talked of being sober for 12 to 17 months, and some as much as two years. They gave credit to the staff, their mentors and the judge for seeing something in them that they didn’t see in themselves. It was really quite refreshing. They were surrounded by family and friends who had come to see them receive their certification, VTC coin, and take pictures of that glorious moment. There were tears of joy, not only in the veterans’ eyes, but in their family’s eyes as well as they watched their loved ones’ transformation into a better person. It really does the heart well to watch folks be thankful for a second opportunity to do it right.

Two days later, I went back to watch Juvenile Court proceedings. It was really disheartening to watch as Mr. Moss printed off 17 pages of charges that our kids will be in court for. Keep in mind, this is just for one day; Juvenile Court is five days a week. I watched as child after child came before the judge to hear their next step. All of these kids were flocked by a “parent,” lawyer, SRO, DCS, probation officer and caseworker. In so many of these cases, the only parent that was there was the mother. As I would turn and look around the courtroom, something was very clear to me: Where were the fathers? This is in no way to say that mothers can’t handle their kids, but it’s something about a father in a child’s life that really makes a difference.

Example: Of all the cases that were heard that day, the ones who had a father present were those who were coming off probation and resuming a regular life. Unfortunately, it was evident that some of those kids were going to be back in court, just by their demeanor and their attitude toward the rules of law. Furthermore, I had the newly informed understanding that the recidivism rate for juveniles was three times as high as those in treatment court.

This is my call to action. Five years ago, I made a decision to join Big Brothers, Big Sisters because I wanted to make a difference. Although that journey to make a difference in a child’s life can be sometimes frustrating and difficult, it has been shown to pay dividends in the end. My Little Brother is still in school, and he’s doing very well. I put him to work every summer and will continue to do so until he is out of school. For the last two years, I have been working with Mid-TN Boys and Girls Club and an outstanding committee of Clarksville leadership to bring the BGC to our community. It’s official: Clarksville BGC will be starting this summer. There are numerous organizations across the county that work with young men and women. Unfortunately, many are in single family homes.

If you are an organization that specializes with working with young men and women, please reach out to my office, the office of State Rep. Ronnie Glynn. I would like to speak with you directly to see how we can help our young folks who may not know you exist. I would like to be able to compile a list of organizations that are available for young kids and add them to my website. When I go to public speaking events or at my town halls, I can provide that list as well. We have an opportunity to save our kids – let’s make it happen.

State Rep. Ronnie Glynn of Clarksville, District 67