Over the last twenty years, the United States has seen a steady drop in crime rates, including in juvenile crime. From the peak offense era of the 1990s to today, juvenile crime arrests have dropped across the board in leaps and bounds. Robbery and aggravated assault rates have both dropped by 70% since the 1990s, simple assaults are down by 49%, and murder rates have fallen a staggering 82%. The continuously falling crime rates are not necessarily attributable to any one particular action or policy, however, which leads to some debate among activists and lawmakers over which policies are making the biggest differences to help with this issue. There are a few contributing factors, however, that do show significant impact upon juvenile crime rate reduction. One proposed reason behind the falling juvenile crime rate is the increased attention being given to at-risk or troubled juveniles before they end up arrested for committing a crime. By watching for risk factors that indicate a youth is on a path to becoming a juvenile offender, family and community members have the opportunity to intervene and send the youth to services aimed at preventing system involvement. These interventions have been shown to help prevent the “cradle to prison pipeline” many at-risk youths become entangled in. The average maximum cost across the United States was a staggering $148,767 per juvenile per year, all of which is funded by taxpayer dollars. The study estimates that the total cost of juvenile detentions ranges from $8 billion to $21 billion each year. In contrast to this, youth advocate and rehabilitative programs cost taxpayers just $21,000 per juvenile per year. In 2005, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy conducted a study on behalf of the Washington state government, who were projecting having to spend $750 million by 2030 to build three new prisons to house the growing adult and juvenile prison populations. The WSIPP was tasked with analyzing corrections and prevention programs to find the best “investment” of tax dollars to reduce crime and thus avoid having to build the new prisons. The report found that the government could save $2 billion, two and a half times the amount needed to build the prisons, if they instead invested in evidence-based alternatives to incarceration. The state implemented WSIPPs recommendations, and a follow up study in 2009 found that, after investing $48 million in evidence-based programs, the state had reduced its forecasted budget for new prisons. Other such instances of success include the state of Florida, which saved $36.4 million between 2005 and 2008 by sending juvenile offenders to diversion programs rather than detention. Pennsylvania employs seven juvenile programs as alternatives to incarceration, and a 2008 study found that they had saved the state a combined $317 million dollars. With such staggering reductions in state funding requirements, these three states stand as stellar examples of what other states can and should do to reduce their juvenile detention costs A 2018 public opinion poll showed that 75% of crime victims prefer community-based rehabilitation programs to traditional incarceration. This interest of the public in offender rehabilitation, combined with the government interest in cost reduction, will hopefully combine to keep more juveniles out of the detention system and further the interest in effective rehabilitative programs for juveniles- programs such as Multisystemic Therapy (MST): a scientifically proven intervention for juveniles and at-risk youth. MST Therapists treat families within their homes, schools, and communities, to keep children from falling into the cycle of recidivism and out-of-home placement. Why Youth Incarceration Fails: An Updated Review of the Evidence By Richard Mendel March 1, 2023 Incarcerating youth undermines public safety, damages young people’s physical and mental health, impedes their educational and career success, and often exposes them to abuse. Incarceration Produces Counterproductive Outcomes Part 1 of the report reviews the research on the outcomes of youth incarceration. The evidence reveals these key findings: Incarceration does not reduce delinquent behavior. State-level data on recidivism consistently show that youth who are released from correctional confinement experience high rates of rearrest, new adjudications (in juvenile court) or convictions (in adult court), and reincarceration. Studies that track youth outcomes into adulthood have found that an alarming share of young people incarcerated in youth correctional facilities are later arrested, convicted, and incarcerated as adults. Incarceration impedes young people’s success in education and employment. A number of studies show that incarceration makes it less likely that young people will graduate high school. Incarceration does lasting damage to young people’s health and wellbeing. Studies find that incarceration during adolescence leads to poorer health in adulthood. This damage exacerbates the serious health problems experienced by many of the youth who enter juvenile detention and corrections facilities. Juvenile facilities are rife with maltreatment and abuse. Systemic or recurring abuses were documented in the state-funded youth correctional facilities of 29 states and the District of Columbia between 2000 and 2015. Racial and ethnic disparities in incarceration are vast and unjust. Black youth and other youth of color are incarcerated in detention centers (the equivalent of jails in the adult justice system) at far higher rates than their white peers. Why Incarceration Fails Part 2 of this report reviews the recent research on adolescent brain development and trauma. This research helps explain why incarceration is the wrong response in the vast majority of delinquency cases. Brain immaturity fuels delinquency. Scientists have confirmed that the brain does not fully mature until age 25, and this lack of brain maturity makes lawbreaking and other risky behaviors more common during adolescence. Early childhood trauma often feeds delinquency in adolescence. Studies find that youth who become involved in the juvenile justice system are several times more likely than other youth to have suffered traumatic experiences. Reducing Incarceration Through Alternatives and Policy and Practice Reforms Part 3 of this report reviews the research documenting programs and policies that reduce incarceration in ways that lessen delinquent behavior and improve young people’s wellbeing. Community Alternatives to Confinement Achieve Equal or Better Outcomes at Far Lower Cost. Our review found several types of community-based alternative programs that are especially promising, with powerful evidence of effectiveness. These include: • Youth Advocate Programs (YAP) offers intensive support and advocacy to 20,000 justice-involved or otherwise at-risk youth and young adults in more than 100 program sites across the country each year. • Credible messengers is an approach where adults with experience in the justice system, typically from the same neighborhoods where many court-involved youth live, mentor young people and help them develop more positive attitudes and values. • Intensive multi-pronged family-focused treatment models, such as Multisystemic Therapy (MST) and Functional Family Therapy (FFT), assign specially trained therapists to work with youth and their families for several months. The programs are designed to improve family functioning, identify and address root causes of delinquent behavior, and support meaningful behavior change. • Wraparound programs hire care coordinators to work with behaviorally troubled youth and their families, devise individual plans to address identified needs, and connect youth to a range of targeted services and opportunities. • Youth Build, an employment-focused program, engages young people in a combination of high school completion, construction skills training, and personal development activities. It operates in more than 200 program sites across the country. • Programs led by grassroots neighborhood, civic, and faith-based organizations provide counseling, support, skill-building and recreational programs. Although these programs have not been extensively researched, they show promise in steering court-involved youth toward success. Recommendations To help readers put this research to work on reducing incarceration, the report offers nine recommendations for state and local justice systems: • expand the use of diversion • invest in alternatives to incarceration • measure results • limit the use of pre-trial detention • prohibit incarceration for low-level offenses • create financial incentives to limit incarceration • use objective decision-making guidelines • limit lengths of stay • focus explicitly on race in efforts to reduce confinement. The common thread for all Judges, Magistrate and Juvenile organizations has the goal of reducing juvenile mass incarceration. Expanding the use of diversion and investing in alternatives to incarceration. With this goal in mind, I would like to introduce to you a diversion program designed for youth created by Schoolman101.comThe program consists of 7 modules: All modules are designed to have a family mentor involved in the training. This is a must and required or the student will not be accepted in the program. Module 1: DISC program, define DICS and add materials Intro do DISCWhat you get from disc assessment Once you master your assessment and learn how you communicate and learn the behaviors and emotions of others, you now learn how to communicate to them. Mastering this skill will immediately improve the following’ Self confidence Self awareness Self control Self esteem Teamwork Personal and Corporate value Your transformation is waiting to take place through disc (dominant, influential, steady, conscious) How to use the report: The DISC report is divided into 3 parts introducing the DISC Part 1: Focus on each style Part 2: Understanding yourself Part 3 : Examines and explores adaptability Part 1: focus on each style Understanding Behavioral Styles Understanding Pace and Priority of each style Deep look at the four DISCStyles How to communicate with the DISCStyles Part 2: Understanding yourself General Characteristics Word Sketch- Adapted style describe why you do what you do and what’s important to you in your work environment Word Sketch- Natural Style your natural style DISCstyles graph Behavioral Patterns View. The BPV has eight behavioral zones. Each zone identifies a different combination of behavioral traits. Communication tips for others Your Motivators: Wants and Needs What you bring to the Organization Potential Areas for Improvement 12 Behavioral Tendencies- Summary 12 Behavioral Tendencies- Details & Graphs Summary of your style Part 3: Understanding others and adaptability What is adaptability? Recognizing Another Person’s Behavioral Style Communicating with each Style Understand how to Modify Directness and Openness Understanding how to modify Pace and Priority Adapting in different Situations: At Work, Sales and Service, Social Settings, Learning Environments Application Activities Create a DISC Team Let’s start the TRANSFORMATION!!! Module 2: EIQ Program , define EIQ information and add materials Intro of EIQWhat you get from Emotional Intelligence EIQ Assessment Emotional Intelligence (EIQ) INVENTORY What is Emotional Intelligence Understanding the emotional wheel and how to use it EIQ Benefits Areas influenced by Emotional Intelligence Benefits that are both increased and decreased positively that impact performance when EIQ is strong How EIQ works awareness, understanding, discipline, and management. After the initial personal cycle, it connects to the emotions of others The Emotional Intelligence (EIQ) Quotients understanding two competencies, measured as recognition and management Four Quotients: Self-Recognition, Self- management, Social Recognition, Social Management scoring system Sub-categories: Each of the four quotients are then broken down sub-categories to further determine the strengths and challenges associated with them Details of your scores in all 4 quotients Suggestions to improve in all 4 quotients Quotient Worksheet Additional Ideas for Improvement Module 3: Core Competency, define and add materials Intro of C.CCore Competency Index what you get out of the assessment Scores & Application: Based on your responses to the CCI questionnaire, your report indicates your level of development of 25 personal skills. These 25 personal skills contribute to superior performance in many jobs. Your development of these personal skills is categorized into three levels 1. Well Developed (Green - top 25% 2. Moderately Developed (Yellow-middle 50% 3. Needs Development (Red-bottom 25%) Category Breakdown: List all 25 categories Understanding of each category: Definition of the category, purpose and strategy Question Breakdown with scoring points Recommendations for Overall Improvement Ways to Strengthen or Improve that Category Module 4: 12 week building of business plan after we know your Core Competency Family mentor Module 5: Scared straight video tour of the prison facility by Schoolman Family Mentor Module 6: Courses: self-confidence, decision making skills, choosing friends Family Mentor Module 7: Testimonials from felonies that have spent from 10 to 15 years of incarceration. Family Men