Bexar County juvenile delinquents will have a new option to sitting in a detention cell or painting over graffiti, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
They will now be able to spend some time down on the farm.Lynne Wilkerson, who is Chief of Juvenile Probation in Bexar County, says many youngsters who come into her office have never seen the trails, the green grass, and especially the horses which are at the Salado Wilderness Trail, a newly opened facility for 'at risk children' and their families.
"You can take a teenage boy who is tough and on the streets, and present him with a horse, and he is intimidated at first," she said.
She says spending time on the hiking and equestrian trails at the Wilderness Trail project, which is on the far south side outside Loop 410 will not be a 'sentence,' but rather a 'privilege' for kids to experience a type of life that many have never seen.
"Some of the children are in our post adjudication facility across the street, the Krier Center," she said. "They do it as part of their programming, it is a privilege to come out here."
She says the entire project is paid for by corporate and foundation donations, and many of the programs for the 14 thought 16 year olds will be conducted by volunteer equestrian groups.