« Ind. Courts - Reports on bills of interest to the Judiciary discussed this week | Main | Ind. Courts - Former Grant Circuit Court Judge Tom Hunt honored »

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Ind. Courts - San Diego paper applauds MTV "Juvies" show

"MTV's juvenile court appearance makes for good reality-check TV" is the headline of a column by Jane Clifford, family editor for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Some quotes:

“MTV Juvies” is set in Indiana's Lake County Juvenile Center, and it shows what happens to good kids who make some bad decisions.

“Every young person who has ever driven too fast, drunk too much or left a party right before the cops came will relate to the gritty new documentary series,” the show's description reads.

The stars are first-time offenders, and you see them during their stay at the detention center, as well as an unprecedented look inside the juvenile court, proceedings that are usually closed to the public but open for this show, thanks to the determination of executive producer Karen Grau. Yep, it's reality TV when 15-year-old Sara runs away to Texas for a new life, gets picked up by the cops and hauled back to Indiana. She goes before Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura, who decides to release Sara to her mother. No one is more shocked than Sara when her mother, in tears, tells the judge that she's been having trouble lately with Sara and wants to leave her daughter in lockup.

“That's the central message of the show, that a young person's quick decision can have life-changing consequences,” says Ian Rowe, vice president of MTV Strategic Partnerships & Public Affairs.

It is sobering to see how fast a situation familiar to many teenagers can turn bad. * * *

But the program isn't about shock value, and it doesn't stop with just telling these kids' stories.

“It's important for us not only to put a show on but have a tremendous amount of resources available afterwards,” Rowe says.

And it's all on the show's Web site – www.mtv.com/thinkmtv/features/juvies/ – where young viewers can go for more information.

“If they see the judge make a decision and want to understand why or learn more, there's a podcast they can listen to where she explains her decisions,” Rowe says. “If they see one of the characters who's a runaway, they can go to the site for resources.”

And on a different part of the Web site – www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/juvies/series.jhtml

– viewers will find “Life After Juvies,” where they can catch up with the kids after they come out of detention. In the weekly series, the teens talk about their experience and what's happened to them and their families.

For background, see this list of earlier ILB entries on this project.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 17, 2007 10:47 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts