Harvard University's Ash Institute & the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Recognize Program's Work Curbing Juvenile Delinquency
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at
Harvard Kennedy School today announced Missouri's Division of Youth
Services as the winner of the 2008 Annie E. Casey Innovations Award in
Children and Family System Reform. The Division of Youth Services of
Missouri's Department of Social Services serves youth offenders in
small, dormitory settings and focuses on individualized and group
treatment approaches. As one of the six government programs honored at
tonight's Innovations in American Government Awards gala in
Washington, D.C., the Division of Youth Services will receive $100,000
toward replication and dissemination around the country.
Recognized as "the guiding light for reform in juvenile justice"
by the American Youth Policy Forum, the Missouri Division of Youth
Services (DYS) forwards a promising new philosophy in treatment of
youth offenders at its 42 locations across the state. Instead of the
predominant punitive practices, DYS takes a therapeutic approach,
viewing youth as a direct product of their experiences and capable of
turning their lives around through a step by step change process. DYS
youth participate in daily group meetings with 10 to 12 of their peers
to talk through challenges and serve as positive role models for each
other. Each young person receives individualized educational
assistance and participates in a host of volunteer and community
engagement activities. For many DYS youth, such positive experiences
carry enormous weight; often these are some of the very first
accomplishments for which they can feel proud. In addition to youth
served at DYS treatment centers, many are diverted from the juvenile
justice system all together through community-based programs supported
by the Division, while other low risk youth receive day treatment and
family support while living at home.
Through ongoing group therapy, dedicated staff, relationships with
the court system, and strong community support in the form of liaison
councils and neighborhood advisory boards, the program cites
measurable results in halting the cycle of juvenile crime. Not only
does the program note significant reductions in violence while youth
are enrolled in DYS, over 90 percent of youth avoid further
incarceration for three years or more after graduating from the
program. According to studies of other states that count recidivism in
a similar way, Missouri's nine percent rate is well below states such
as Florida, Maryland, and Louisiana with new juvenile re-offense rates
of 29 percent, 30 percent, and 45 percent respectively. Moreover, the
program model enforces the importance of academic achievement and
reports all time high graduation and GED rates: 90 percent of youth
earn high school credits, 48 percent return to public schools, and 70
percent progress more rapidly than same-age peers in core subjects.
"Missouri's Division of Youth Services is leading the nation in
developing more effective and humane responses to juvenile
delinquency," said Douglas W. Nelson, president and CEO of the Annie
E. Casey Foundation. "We are very pleased that DYS has been chosen as
this year's Annie E. Casey Innovations Award in Children and Family
System Reform winner. The 'Missouri Model' demonstrates that improved
treatment, education, and support is cost-effective, reduces
recidivism rates, and most importantly, provides troubled youth with
the opportunity to turn their lives around and become contributing
members of their communities."
"It's an honor to receive the 2008 Annie E. Casey Innovations
Award in Children and Family System Reform," said Tim Decker, director
of the Division of Youth Services. "Our system is based on the belief
that the public interest is best served by helping young people turn
their lives around and become law-abiding and productive citizens. Our
treatment and education approach, combined with job preparation and
family and community engagement to support the life changes they are
making, gives us the system we have today. We are always working to
achieve better outcomes."
"As states across the nation grapple with the most effective ways
to rehabilitate and reform juvenile offenders, Missouri demonstrates a
truly unique approach to halting the pernicious cycle of youth
delinquency," said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in
American Government Awards Program at Harvard Kennedy School. "By
offering youth and their families a community of support networks,
these adolescents are able to succeed beyond what was ever deemed
possible. In honoring this program, we hope other states will develop
similar strategies for transforming offenders into productive
citizens."
Since 1986, the Ash Institute's Innovations in American Government
Awards Program at Harvard Kennedy School has honored 187 federal,
state, and local government agencies through Ford Foundation support.
In highlighting exemplary models of government innovation, the Program
drives continued progress in improving the quality of life of citizens
and encourages scholarly research and teaching cases at Harvard
University and institutions worldwide. Many award-winning programs
have been replicated across jurisdictions and policy areas, and have
served as harbingers of today's reform strategies or as forerunners to
state and federal legislation.
About the Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private charitable
organization, whose primary mission is to foster public policies,
human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively
meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families. For more
information, visit www.aecf.org.
About the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation
The Roy and Lila Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and
Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens
democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education,
international programs, and government innovations awards, the
Institute fosters creative and effective government problem-solving
and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing
needs of the world's citizens. Asia Programs, a school-wide initiative
integrating Asia-related activities, joined the Ash Institute in July
2008. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Institute.
Additional information about the Ash Institute is available at
www.ashinstitute.harvard.edu. Applicants for the 2009 Innovations in
American Government Awards are encouraged to apply at
www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu.
Ash Institute
Kate Hoagland, 617-495-4347
kate_hoagland@harvard.edu
or
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Sue Lin Chong, 410-223-2836
schong@aecf.org
or
Department of Social Services
Jandra Carter, 573-526-0407
jandra.d.carter@dss.mo.gov
Copyright Business Wire 2008
