Today, we start our month-long video series that spotlights different stakeholders views on Nebraska’s Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers (YRTCs). Each year around 600 youth are sent to one of the YRTCs for a range of serious and not-so-serious offenses, in hopes of rehabilitating them.
This week, Kim Hawekotte, former administrator of the Office of Juvenile Services (OJS) which runs the YRTCs, offers her perspective on the purpose of the YRTCs, how they’re used today, and what changes need to be made so we can better help youth reach their full potential.