Engaging Juvenile Detention Officers in Mentorship Activities: A Personal Perspective as a Community Volunteer in a Juvenile Detention Center

This article offers a personal perspective on the role of juvenile detention officers (JDOs) in community engagement within juvenile detention centers. Drawing from my experiences as a volunteer with The VERB Kind, a mentoring organization that provides weekly programming for justice-involved youth, I reflect on how including JDOs in group discussions and activities appeared to foster trust, mutual respect, and improved facility dynamics. Though not based on formal research, these anecdotal observations suggest that when community partners invited JDOs to engage more actively, it strengthened relationships among staff and youth, enhanced rehabilitative culture, and promoted a more supportive environment. The article calls for a rethinking of staff roles in restrictive settings, with an emphasis on collaboration and connection.