Here's a few statistics on foster care youth that Jerry would now be a part of.
What happens to foster youth who emancipate (age-out, turn 18) from the system?
Over 70% of all California State Penitentiary inmates have spent time in the foster care system.
65% emancipate without a place to live
Less than 3% go to college
51% are unemployed
Emancipated females are 4 times more likely to receive public assistance than the general population
In any given year, foster children compromise less than 0.3% of the state's population, and yet 40% of persons living in homeless shelters are former foster children.
A similarly disproportionate percentage of the nation's prison population is comprised of former foster youth.
By the age of 19, only 57% of emancipated foster youth have received high school diplomas or GEDs
Less than 5% of former foster youth graduate college
Employers are less likely to hire a former foster youth who have the similar qualifications than a non-foster youth.
Less than 50% of former foster youth are employed 2½ - 4 years after leaving foster care, and only 38% have maintained employment for over one year.
In California, 65% of youth leaving foster care do so without a place to live.
Only 40% of eligible emancipated foster youth receive independent living services.
Nearly 40% of transitioning youth will be homeless within eighteen months of discharge.
56% of youth leaving foster care reported using hard drugs.
Nearly 50% of foster children suffer from chronic health conditions such as asthma, visual and auditory problems, dental decay, and malnutrition.
Former foster youth experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at twice the rate of US war veterans.
More than half of children in foster care have moderate to severe mental health problems.
Former foster youth were significantly less likely to have attended any sort of religious services.
Foster youth are more likely than their peers to have marital problems, and are more likely to raise a child outside of marriage.
Foster youth tend to be more socially isolated and have a harder time forming long term relationships.
Parents with a history of foster care are almost twice as likely as parents with no such history to see their own children placed in foster care or become homeless.
In one study, median earnings among employed former foster youth were just 59% their peer's income.
Foster youth are several times more likely to rely on public assistance
Over 70% of all California State Penitentiary inmates have spent time in the foster care system.
65% emancipate without a place to live
Less than 3% go to college
51% are unemployed
Emancipated females are 4 times more likely to receive public assistance than the general population
In any given year, foster children compromise less than 0.3% of the state's population, and yet 40% of persons living in homeless shelters are former foster children.
A similarly disproportionate percentage of the nation's prison population is comprised of former foster youth.
By the age of 19, only 57% of emancipated foster youth have received high school diplomas or GEDs
Less than 5% of former foster youth graduate college
Employers are less likely to hire a former foster youth who have the similar qualifications than a non-foster youth.
Less than 50% of former foster youth are employed 2½ - 4 years after leaving foster care, and only 38% have maintained employment for over one year.
In California, 65% of youth leaving foster care do so without a place to live.
Only 40% of eligible emancipated foster youth receive independent living services.
Nearly 40% of transitioning youth will be homeless within eighteen months of discharge.
56% of youth leaving foster care reported using hard drugs.
Nearly 50% of foster children suffer from chronic health conditions such as asthma, visual and auditory problems, dental decay, and malnutrition.
Former foster youth experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at twice the rate of US war veterans.
More than half of children in foster care have moderate to severe mental health problems.
Former foster youth were significantly less likely to have attended any sort of religious services.
Foster youth are more likely than their peers to have marital problems, and are more likely to raise a child outside of marriage.
Foster youth tend to be more socially isolated and have a harder time forming long term relationships.
Parents with a history of foster care are almost twice as likely as parents with no such history to see their own children placed in foster care or become homeless.
In one study, median earnings among employed former foster youth were just 59% their peer's income.
Foster youth are several times more likely to rely on public assistance
Jerry had been in trouble with the law before many many times. But now he was a foster child. With in the California (WIC) Welfare and Institutions code, he fell under section/code 300: (Any child who comes within any of the following descriptions is within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court which may adjudge that person to be a dependent child of the court) Jerry fit pretty much all of the criteria. The biggest being that his mother just plain gave up on him. This just happen to be during pivotal adolescence stage when parental guidance is most needed. Jerry was housed at the Albert Sitton home in Orange County California. In the early eighties the facility came to be known as Orangewood children's home. Back then Juvenile hall and the Albert Sitton home were right next to each other. Juvenile Hall would house some of the WIC 300 kids at the time. Jerry quickly became one of those kids that floated from Juvenile Hall to Albert Sitton home to placement homes (Foster care). He was known as a "runner". If he wasn't locked down, he ran. He ran from all the facilities as often as he could. He wasn't alone too. There were many kids in his situation in Orange County and they all knew each other and considered each other family to an extent. Jerry struggles to remember specific events and names but he did remember when a Juvenile camp staff broke his forearm. He was being housed at Rancho Potrero (now called Joplin I believe). He doesn't remember the crime but it was usually due to the fact he kept running from his placement homes. Staff had brought him to a private room to tell him that his father had died due to liver failure. Jerry hadn't had any contact with his father in some time so didn't remember being devastated. However, he did think it was a good time to give the staff a hard time by "going off" as they called it. This meant basically that he refused to follow directions, walked around the room and used expletives. To make a long story short, the staff snapped Jerry's wrist in an effort to restrain him. As he tells the story today, he wishes he would have known a lawyer. He might have been rich.
No comments:
Post a Comment