President and CEO, Keller Strother, reflects on the past two decades

In 20 years, we’ve accomplished a lot—200,000 families worldwide have been helped by MST. That’s an incredible feat  We have spread MST to 34 states and 15 countries.  Are we proud of what we have accomplished?  Yes, without question. Is there a lot more to do?  You bet.

The MST Services team in Chicago in June 2016

A young, upper-middle class, white male commits several crimes and wonders what would have happened had he been a young, poor, male of color

We’ve been reporting a lot on the disparities in the juvenile-justice system. We talk about the consequences of the school-to-prison pipeline, where brown and black kids are treated so much harsher than their white counterparts. It’s not often we get a glimpse into the system from the point of view of a white, advantaged male. Most often, it’s the disenfranchised who speak out about their stories. However, this anonymous young man has chosen to share his brush with the justice system and why he’ll be the first to believe that it was the color of his skin, not his innocence or guilt, that provided him with a “get-out-of-jail-free” card.

Georgia juvenile court judge raises graduation rates and reduces crime

Why does it benefit a juvenile-court judge to reduce detention if it isn't costing him anything? Well, in the words of Chief Judge Steven Teske, it’s because it’s the right thing to do.

And reduce detention he did.

An MST supervisor reflects on the importance of fatherhood

I grew up in a time when fathers in my Hispanic culture were expected to be strong disciplinarians and primarily focus on providing financially for the family. My wife and I have been blessed with two gorgeous and conscientious daughters. When my first daughter was born, I knew I did not want to contribute to the cultural stereotypes of what a father should be and do.

“For years, we had to defend our crazy.” These are the words Susan used to describe the situation with her son, Benjamin. 

For confidentiality, all names have been changed.

By the time Benjamin was 12, his family had nearly reached the end of their rope. With seven members of a blended family living under the same roof, things were understandably chaotic at times. They were only made more strained by Benjamin’s frequent angry outbursts and out-of-control rage.

How one judge is making a difference in the lives of the youth and community he serves

In 1899, the first-ever juvenile court was established in Cook County, Illinois. Within 25 years, almost all states had a juvenile-court system setup. Their primary goal was to rehabilitate, not punish, young people who committed delinquent acts. Thus, from its very inception, the juvenile-justice system was intended for prevention and rehabilitation.

There are a few key differences between the juvenile-court and the adult criminal-court system. Of major significance, juveniles are not entitled to a trial by jury. 

Magistrate Charles Levesque, center

Powerful video testimony of an MST mother

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then a video is worth a million. At least, this video is. A strong and courageous mom shared her journey with Multisystemic Therapy (MST) at the Blueprints Conference in Colorado.

Bridging cultures and a language barrier, MST does whatever it takes

Imagine that you are a single mom of a 14-year old boy. He’s an impulsive little guy. He loves to run away from school and into the small grocery store next door where he snaps up candy and snacks while no one is looking. When he is in the school building, he’s seldom in a classroom, preferring areas where kids take their breaks and adult supervision is minimal. After school, he’s out who knows where, with who knows whom, doing who knows what. You’re scared, but what to do?

How being white and privileged kept me out of the juvenile justice system

I’m new to a lot of things. Knitting, crossword puzzles, adult-ing, just to name a few. But most importantly, I’m new to my job at MST Services. Before working here, I could not have told you much about the juvenile-justice system. Now, by virtue of the research I now do, I can tell you a lot. Interestingly, not only have I learned a lot about the topic, I have learned a lot about myself. 

This is not going to be me gushing about how my life has improved since coming to MST. (Even though it has). This is going to be me speaking about the harsh realizations and self-awareness I’ve come to have, most of which I think are equal parts pertinent and relevant to my peers, as well.

My friends and me, senior year of high school

Pennsylvania family ready to give up on 14-year-old Son

I first met Anthony at his Inter-Agency Service Planning Team (ISPT) meeting. Sitting at the head of the table wearing an ankle bracelet and a big smile on his face, he told me he was ready to go home. He had been in two juvenile placements and was finishing up a stay at a drug-rehabilitation center. 

During the meeting, his parents acknowledged they were at their wit's end. They had supported sending their son away three times, and nothing seemed to change. In fact, I learned that before Anthony went into placement the last time, mom told the public defender that she didn't feel that she could keep him safe. She shared that made her feel like a bad mother, but at that time, she really believed placement was her only choice. Now they were ready to do whatever it took to keep Anthony home. They talked about their willingness to sleep on the living-room floor, guarding the house, so that he couldn’t leave and his older, anti-social peers couldn’t come in.