Second Opportunity for Success

Lena Pope Home offers the Second Opportunity for Success Program, formerly known as the First Offender Program,  for youth that have found themselves involved with the juvenile justice system and have no previous record of law violation. This program offers a supportive environment for the youth and their families, while teaching them valuable skills to help in their families, their educations, and their personal lives. This is accomplished by holding classes for both the youth and their families. During small group sessions, the students learn topics such as:

  • Building Family Relationships
  • Self-Esteem
  • Peer Pressure
  • Social Skills
  • Decision Making
  • Substance Abuse/STD Awareness

The parents also attend classes that cover:

  • Family Unity
  • Clear Messages
  • Consequences
  • Decision Making
  • Social Skills
  • Self-Control and Corrective Teaching
  • Building Relationships

These  group sessions allow the students to build their own skill set, while the parents are also receiving focused attention. This method proves to be effective, because it involves the family as a whole.

Once this foundation has been set through the parent and student classes, the students enter a probationary period where they are given support through a family specialist. The family specialist will discuss the progress or regression that the student may be experiencing, and offers guidance to the family. After the probationary period has expired, the student has the opportunity to have their charges dropped, provided they successfully complete the program without a subsequent law violation.

The Second Opportunity for Success Program at Lena Pope Home has been extremely successful serving over 3,000 youths and their families and has been recognized for its ability to respond to the ongoing needs of the student and their families. Success rates have exceeded 90% since the program began in 1990. In 2003, Urban Solutions of New Rochelle, New York completed an assessment of youth reentry programs in various regions of the United States.  They comprised a checklist of important criteria for each program based on literary research in juvenile justice.  Of the 36 programs surveyed, Lena Pope Home’s program received a perfect 10 score-meaning that it has the ability to respond to the present and ongoing needs of juvenile offenders and their families.   A policy brief published in December, 2009 by the Texas Public Policy Foundation policy brief  identified the Lena Pope Home program as an “effective first offender program.” The full report can be located by clicking HERE. 

Although the Second Opportunity for Success Program receives its participants by referral, Lena Pope Home also offers similar services that are open to the public. For more information about our counseling services, click HERE.