JAMES WOOD
Staff Writer
Director of Court Services Jarrod Swain spoke in an exclusive interview about his position with the Bedford County Juvenile Court and his previous jobs as a Probation Officer, Court Liaison and Youth Services Officer.
Starting with the Department of Children Services in 1998 and the Juvenile Court in 2007, Swain has dedicated his career to working with people in the legal system for decades.
At his position at the Juvenile Court, Swain oversees the office and staff involved with the court, making sure kids are being seen by providers along with other youth engagements across the community.
Swain was born in Nashville and raised in Cowan by his single mother along with his great grandparents, instilling in him good work ethic and strong principles.
Since then, his job working with juveniles in Bedford County has revealed a new perspective on the way communities tackle the challenge of rehabilitating juveniles.
“You can’t do this job without prior experience,” said Swain. “Juvenile Court isn’t about punishment, it’s about rehabilitation.”
Under Swain’s leadership, the Juvenile Court in Bedford County is one of few in the region to have an on-staff licensed social worker, emphasizing the ambition to listen to juveniles.
“Adults do too much talking and not enough listening sometimes,” Swain said.
By changing the method of how the Juvenile Court works with children, the ambition is to incentivize growth from mistakes and provide life direction in an often-times directionless path for many people.
“No young person wakes up in the morning and says ‘I’m going to be a bad kid today’,” said Swain. “Unlike adults, many children aren’t able to voice their feelings because they don’t know why they’re feeling that way.”
An important goal of Swain’s office is to place an emphasis on being actively involved with schools to prevent misbehavior from starting altogether.
“Sometimes you go to counseling just to be able to have someone listen to you,” Swain continued. “But counseling isn’t what fixes everything. It’s the ability to cope and understand in a healthy manner.”
By establishing a healthy relationship between the Juvenile Court and the Principals of the local school system, the office is able to connect with the student population.
Swain emphasized the importance of self-understanding among students to prevent addiction and attachment to destructive coping mechanisms.
“Some kids, and adults too, self-medicate,” Swain said. “They should seek help to try and figure out why this is happening and how to make life stable and livable.”
He also noted that parents are free to reach out to the office for counseling, particularly to prevent destructive behavior from starting.
“Kids don’t have to be in trouble,” Swain said. “If you need help, that’s what we’re here for.”
By changing the approach to understanding people’s lives, Swain and his office are striving to build a better community for the youth.
Jarrod Swain