Stephen Troyanovich oversees the education of 1,400 juveniles
By:Vanessa S. Holt
FLORENCE When a young inmate in a state correctional facility picks up a book, builds a birdhouse or begins a sketch, one local man sees a brighter future for both the youth and society.
As the newly appointed director of education for the Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC), Florence resident Stephen Troyanovich oversees the education of about 1,400 juveniles between the age of 14 and 20, including those in secure facilities, residential centers and day programs.
About 350 teachers work with the students in various programs throughout the state.
Any program with an educational component is under the jurisdiction of the JJC and must abide by the same educational standards as any other facilities in the state.
Criminal justice has always been a main interest for Mr. Troyanovich, who never considered pursuing a traditional teaching career.
The greatest challenge facing educators in correctional institutions today, however, is public perception, he said.
"Most of what people hear about any element of criminal justice is negative," said Mr. Troyanovich.
However, he said, the public doesn’t know about many of the programs designed to help the community by involving inmates in activities that will teach them skills for both work and leisure.
When he began his career at the Albert C. Wagner Correctional Facility 25 years ago, the field of correctional education was relatively new, and not recognized as a legitimate profession by others in the education field, said Mr. Troyanovich.
"At that time, a lot of people hoped we would pack up and leave," he said.
Although many people still consider the profession "peculiar," there was a general perception at one time that educators in correctional institutions were not "real teachers," he said.
"It was a very nasty stereotype but it has changed over the years," noted Mr. Troyanovich.
Mr. Troyanovich said the concept of "restorative justice" is an important component of education in the correctional system, teaching inmates to give back to their communities.
"Most offenders, in my personal experience, do want to give back to the community," he said. "They know they did something wrong."
Developing leisure interests and skills is another crucial step in rehabilitating young offenders to ensure they will not find themselves incarcerated as adults.
"A lot of our residents really find themselves where they currently are because they didn’t have positive leisure time skills," added Mr. Troyanovich.
Among the programs he has implemented in the past are music programs, where inmates learn about jazz, blues and music appreciation.
Activities like science fiction film clubs and art and poetry classes have proven to be effective programs to harness the inmates’ creative talents, which can develop into beneficial interests and skills.
"There are quite a number who have gone back to their various communities and are very productive members of society," he said.
One program he worked with in the past involved teaching inmates to make birdhouses, which were later sold at an exhibit with proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity.
"It reinforced the concept that we have tremendously creative population; we need to give them direction in which way to direct it," he said.
Mr. Troyanovich, 53, has lived in Florence since 1976. He received his undergraduate degree in journalism from Riverside University in Riverside, Calif., and a master’s degree in corrections from Montclair State University.