Special Report: Lost Boys

Off the coast of Cape Cod, there's a small island, but this is not a vacation hot spot - rather a life jacket for troubled young men caught in choppy seas.

Alex, Penikese Student
"I did too many drugs skipped school, disrespected my parents, got involved with the law."

Ben, Penikese Student
"I was involved in stupid petty gang stuff."

Nick, Penikese Student
"I was in trouble as a kid."

For nine months nine boys call the Penikese Island School home. Many have drug addictions. Some have been convicted of stealing, or dealing, or sometimes, violent crimes - but instead of jail, they end up here at "school."

But it's a lot more than just reading writing and arithmetic.

They learn to be responsible and self-sufficient. They chop firewood, cook their meals, repair and maintain the buildings, and keep up the land.

Toby Lineaweaver, Executive Director, Penikese Island School
"Sure it works it works very well, I think."

Director Toby Lineaweaver says the idea is to create a family. This lets students feel they're part of something bigger than themselves.

Toby Lineaweaver, Executive Director, Penikese Island School
"Many of our kids come from very broken homes or perhaps don't even have families at all we really stress the importance of the relationship here."

Their first strategy is essentially re-parenting the child - admittedly a tall order.

Toby Lineaweaver, Executive Director, Penikese Island School
"It takes 18 years to raise kids to get them ready to go out in the world alone. We only have nine months and these aren't normal kids."

And life here is no easy run. There's no electricity. They use outhouses. There's little plumbing. Buildings are heated with firewood and for light they use kerosene lanterns.

The boys who end up here were given two different choices - they could have gone in two different directions. On one hand, they could have spent three months in juvenile hall or they could spend nine months here.

Alex, Penikese Student
"Well, if you go to juvey hall, man, you just realize it’s not the place you want to be. You can't make any decisions on what you want to do next in your life."

But change comes without the comforts a typical teenager would enjoy. There are no TVs, radios, CDs DVDs or electronic games.

Nick, Penikese Student
"I'm so into my books now and stuff. Also, I've been more physical before I'd just sit and be lazy. I'd smoke a lot, and I wasn't really going anywhere.

The treatment isn't cheap: tuition runs about $60,000 per student, half that comes from taxpayers and half from fundraising. According to clinical director Pam Brighton, money spent on cheaper, less effective programs is a waste.

Pam Brighton, Clinical Director, Penikese Island School
"We can invest in these kids for nine months here and hopefully make it so that we don't spend money keeping them incarcerated for five years, or 10 years or for life."

So are these boys lost at sea?

Alex, Penikese Student
"I want to become a mechanical engineer - that's my goal."

Ben, Penikese Student
"I'm going to community college and then switch into Emerson College."

Nick, Penikese Student
"I've been looking at colleges right now which I would have never have thought I could have done."

It seems ironic that an island might be just the place get these boys on the right track.

Penikese Island School maintains a 2 to 1 student-teacher ratio. Only if a student makes it through nine months will they graduate from the program.

For more information:

Penikese Island School
PO Box 161, Woods Hole, MA 02543
508-548-7276
800-828-7677
www.penikese.org
info@penikese.org

Additional Resources:

ADOL: the Adolescent Directory On-Line:
www.education.indiana.edu/cas/adol/welcome.html

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
www.aacap.org

COMPASS: Community Providers of Adolescent Services:
www.spedschools.com

MASSPAC: Massachusetts Association of Special Ed Parental Advisory Councils:
www.masspac.org

MAAPS: Massachusetts Association of Accredited Private Schools:
www.spedschools.com

Federation for Children with Special Needs:
www.fcsn.org

Special Education Advocates - Special Education Law:
www.wrightslaw.com

Massachusetts Agencies:

Department of Education: 781-388-3300
Department of Mental Health, Children's Services: 508-775-2854;
Emergency Services: 800-322-1356
Department of Youth Services, Southeast Area: 508-824-1484;
Massachusetts Advocacy Center: 617-357-8431
Special Needs Advocacy Network: 617-928-0002 ext. 3