BERKSHIRE JUVENILE FISHING DERBY PROGRAM INTRODUCES
OFFENDERS TO THE GREAT OUTDOORS

           Berkshire Juvenile Probation Officer Alex Daugherty recently taught a group of 25 probationers and at-risk children various fishing techniques as well as how to enjoy and respect the outdoors at the 2003 Reynolds Pond Fishing Derby.

           The event was sponsored by the Berkshire Juvenile Court Probation Department and the Berkshire County League of Sportsmen. Each probationer caught fish and received a fishing pole and tackle box compliments of the League of Sportsmen. The children were ages 10 to 16. They were placed under the supervision of probation for offenses that range from destruction of property to breaking and entering.

           This month’s fishing derby is one of a series of fishing derbies held since 1997. The fishing derbies are the brainchild of Daugherty.

           “The same excitement and adrenalin rush they (offenders) receive from participating in delinquent behavior can be achieved with fishing. Fishing is fun and it won’t get them into trouble. It is also a great way to escape their everyday lives to go into the outdoors. One of my passions is fishing and I have turned it into something that can help children who are at risk,” said Daugherty.

           Berkshire Juvenile probationers participate in at least two fishing derbies each summer. The department has also collaborated with the League of Sportsmen, local Bass fishing groups and the Adams Outdoorsmen for Youth in the past to offer recreational activities for court-involved youth. Chief Probation Officer William Gale, Assistant Chief Probation Officer Daniel Turner and Probation Officers Nancy Macauley and Dawud Davis all help facilitate the fishing derbies.

           “I am a firm believer that if children learn to enjoy the outdoors in a positive way, it teaches them to be responsible. And, when they have the right people around them, it is a tremendous amount of fun,” said Berkshire Juvenile Chief Probation Officer William D. Gale. “Many of the kids are from single parent and broken homes. It is very rural here and people need things to do. It’s not like they have the option of going to the Y down the street.”

           The Massachusetts Probation Service is a department of the Massachusetts Trial Court. Probation’s Juvenile Court system includes 11 divisions which represent every county in the state. There are 12 Superior Court, 70 District Court and 12 Probate and Family Court probation offices throughout the Commonwealth. The Office of the Commissioner of Probation (OCP) serves as the central administrative office for the state Probation service and the Office of Community Corrections which operates 23 Community Corrections Centers throughout the state.