Read Our Employee Interview
Juvenile Justice Spotlight
Mack McGhee
Division Director of Institutional Care/Chief Administrator
Agency: Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility
Office Location: Detroit, Michigan
1. What ultimately led you into the Juvenile Justice field? And what motivates you to stay?
“Growing up, my father worked as a Youth Supervisor II for Illinois Youth Center Joliet (IYC). That was my first experience, through him, and my mother worked with developmentally disabled people. This combination piqued my interest and lead me into juvenile justice. As far as motivation, ‘I LOVE IT!’ I knew since day one how much I wanted to be in this field and have stayed in it for 30 years.”
2. What part of your job energizes you?
“I’ve always been a program person and enjoy seeing young people engaged. Having an opportunity to get them engaged in positive youth development and cognitive restructuring is always a win-win. I worked with Aunt Martha’s Youth Service Center right out of college and we did a lot of programming along this line and it’s stayed with me.”
3. What topic would you love to get more training on to help you in your job or with higher career aspirations?
“I’m very interested in racial and ethnic disparities and have already done some training. I feel it’s so relevant and important for jurisdictions and areas to have a greater understanding about this topic and its impact, I’d like to lead the way.”
4. Who were your mentor(s) in the field? What is something that they taught you that you’ve carried with you throughout your career?
“I’ve had several mentors throughout the years but my first was the CEO – C. Gary Leofanti – of Aunt Martha’s. He was a visionary, believing in positive youth development, providing me the time and attention I needed, plus, a platform to speak.
Also, Clinton Lacey. Former Director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) in DC. I loved his approach and the motto he used, ‘What does love look like in juvenile justice’. His overall approach is great. To have compassion and to help youth understand that they are more than just that moment in time when they made a mistake.”
5. If you could give advice to someone starting out in the field, what would it be?
“It was some advice given to me when I just got out of college, ‘Children don’t care what you know until they know how much you care.’ I’d also teach them the 3Rs - Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor. And helping them to understand the meaning behind them all.”
6. If you could share a valuable life lesson with youth to help them avoid becoming involved in the juvenile justice system, what would it be?
“Based on my own experience, I’d encourage them to keep engaged in a lot of pro-social activities. I was in sports, in band, and in church growing up. So, to get active in those extracurricular activities helped keep me on track. It really makes a difference in a young person’s life.”
7. If you could give words of wisdom to a youth currently involved in the JJ system, what would they be?
“To never give up on themselves. To learn how to forgive themselves. And one of the most important things now is for young people to accept accountability for your choice(s) and decision(s). I’m a believer in restorative justice and believe that is important as well.”
8. What are creative ways that you feel we can get more family involvement in JJ?
“One of the things I was really proud of when I was in DC, is that we would do family engagement activities. We would plan ahead, and brought in parents, siblings, and grandparents to really engage in the system to help build a family bond and help the family know that they were welcome into the system. We made it very inviting for both the family and young person who was incarcerated.”
9. What concerns do you have about the current state of juvenile justice?
“My concern is that the system is really in need of more of a rehabilitative approach. Some jurisdictions and areas are very much into that but there are so many more who aren’t. I think the punitive approach and mindset is not conducive to helping these young kids turn their lives around.”
10. What do you enjoy doing when you're not at work?
“I love to read. I love to speak in a public setting to motivate and inspire others. I’m also into movies and series on Netflix. I just finished, Lupin, and really enjoyed it, having just binge-watched the third season.”