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Show Decker Lake Is Last Chance for Many Delinquents Individualized Rehabilitation By Ken Schreiner Tribune Staff Writer LaRoy looks like the type of kid you might see in a dark arcade feeding quarters into a video machine when he should be sitting in a high School history class But this hasn't seen a pool hall or the inside of a traditional school in more than two years A resident of the Decker Lake Youth Center, LaRoy is one of 30 ju-emie offenders who live in the maximum security facility. Decker Lake, along with the Millcreek Youth Center in Ogden, are identical facilities and have replaced the L'tah State Industrial School as the end of the road" for juvenile offenders. The centers are unique in that they provide maximum security in a v "deinstitutionalized'' environment The program has earned Utah the status of a leader in creative juvenile planning." according to Ron Stromberg. director of the Utah State Division of Youth Corrections Institutions are a problem." said When you have that Stromberg many kids it's hard to do anything except supervise them and make sure they get to school Big is not very beneficial when you talk about rehabili- tation " The program at Decker Lake is focused on providing an atmosphere that is as "humane, caring and normal as possible," said Gabrielle An- - Dan Chartrand, a program coordinator at the Decker Lake Youth Center, works with juvenile offenders who are at derson. director of the facility. But she stressed that offenders "are being punished." Freedom has been taken away she said But just locking them up what kind of productive people are going to result from that? This is if we can do their last chance something to impact their lives, great. I don't think just locking them up will do that " At Decker Lake, three identical living centers house ten residents, with counselors who rotate shifts Hath . . living center has 10 small rooms containing a bed. sink, toilet and a small desk The rooms surround an open with area with modest furnishings the exception of a color television and microwave for cooking snacks It's easy time as far as time is concerned." said LaRoy But when the door closes behind you at night, you're stuck You spend a lot of" time alone, you do a lot of thinking LaRoy was one of the first to come to Decker Lake Like many juvenile offenders, he had a difficult home life the end oi the road. The unique youth center has earned .Utah the status of a leader in creative juvenile planning. and found himself in trouble with the people Belon I didn t tall- t'lr.s out I punched my wa out. he ... d law at an early age. He was transferred from the state industrial Don t get rn wrong I hate the school to Decker Lake 2'z years ago place Tht y say your' doing tr but It really has a double mi ari'.g I can't really say where Id this place, probably in prison Its tune out time to think 'uni t with all my old friends Hither dead get yours 1) straight I s hi.M o a or in prison." he said, adding that lot but Its helM d me a h't most of his problems with the law sumo time were motivated by rebellion r Helping young oil no rs "This place has really c hanged me through their problt rr s i' a u,ijt r I ve worked a lot out in my own head purt of the program I m c iv e mdiv iduul and fa mi v ( "trs I feci like I have a on where grip See Page 2, ( olumn at and developed my ability to talk to . ft V s 1 Swim? This Grandmother Covers Two Miles a Day By Jamie Tabish Tribune Staff Writer Louise Peterson started wi taming seriously about eight years now she s up to two miles a ago day Although her speed has never won her an award her determination and age has Two years ago. nearly 400 of Louises friends signed a petition r naming her Swimmer of the Year She earned the title by faithfully swimming five days a week, two hours a day This swimmer prepares for the big splash eac h morning at 6 am wearing goggles a nose-pluand a swimming cap But Louise wasn't always this g Tribune Soft Photo b Louise Peterson takes a break after swim- ming two miles in the pool at Midvale A Middle School. At age 77, she sw ims every day. I want to stay healthy, she says. prepared When she first began swimmirg eieht years ago alter hi r hi; ban I e d a Louise s favorite strokt doggu paddle A lifeguard at the Midvale Middle Sc haul juul who had been watching Luui'C swim asfed her if sn wuntid to learn how to sw uu I w a- - sw.ri i I thought she recalled -- wu-th- I'-- As a girl growing up in M George. Louise walkec. tour miles We swam m a to go swimming canal but we had to avoid dead sheep and c hickens,' she sdid So we didn l use anv particular ' stroke, we just swam Now Louise says she Car' io them all." from the back 'trok . the side stroke to the crawl "When I first started I thougl t See Page 2. Column 3 |