Huntington Classes Visit Riverhead Jail
It certainly was an eye-opener, that's for sure. A visit to the Riverhead Correctional Facility by Huntington High School students enrolled in Street Law I and criminal justice classes gave the teenagers a glimpse of what it's like for a person to lose their freedom and pay back a debt to society. Simply put, they learned that being in jail is no fun at all.
The business department students participated in the Youth Enlightenment Seminar (YES) initiative at the complex. "The program allows teachers to accompany their children into the Riverhead Correctional Facility in order to experience first-hand what life may be like if they end up incarcerated," said teacher Suzie Biagi who accompanied the students along with faculty colleague Erik Bruckbauer.
The program offered through the office of Suffolk Sheriff Vincent F. DeMarco is offered by appointment only and is designed to provide a realistic lesson for young people about how the wrong path could affect their future.
"When a former Street Law student was asked about her visit to the Riverhead facility her reply was 'I never want to go to jail; it's scary and the stories that we were told by the inmates were disturbing,'" Mrs. Biagi said
The Huntington students were in universal agreement that a visit to the jail and the formal program there combines for a powerful experience. "I went a year ago and I still think about what the consequences may be if I get in trouble," said one teenager. "I like to think the trip keeps me safer somehow."
Another trip is planned for March 2011. "The waiting list is already 15 deep," Mrs. Biagi said.