Juvenile Probation Programs, Institutions, and Aftercare Programs Assignment

Juvenile Probation Programs, Institutions, and Aftercare Programs - Assignment Example Over the past few years, numerous juvenile programs have been implemented in many parts of the country with the major aim of coming up with programs that reduce recidivism, impart useful crime-avoidance knowledge and ensure that youthful offenders make a turn for the better after their initial interaction with the system. Introduction This paper looks at a couple of these juvenile programs in depth. Specifically aimed at providing teen offenders with an opportunity to not only change their lives after the completion of their initial custodial or other sentence but also equips them with the ability to ensure that they do not again end up in correctional facilities as adults. These programs have been set up in different ways depending on the types and frequency of crimes that the youths in the particular location are prone to but have applicability in wider settings and can be adapted for use in other areas with minimal changes to ensure successful implementation. The suitability of th ese programs in new locations and whether or not they are going to fail or succeed depends a great deal in utilizing the lessons learned in the initial implementations and using these to adequately tailor responses that more immediately suit local requirements. 1. The first program is the Community Restitution and Apprenticeship Focused Training (Project CRAFT). Since 1994, Project CRAFT has served more than 2,000 high-risk youth at 15 sites in ten states (Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas). Project CRAFT currently operates at nine sites in four states, including Florida, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Mississippi. The program is designed to offer treatment, prerelease and aftercare services for juvenile offenders between the ages of 16 and 21. The project can be implemented as either a residential Juvenile correctional program or as a community based one for post-correctional facility aftercare or for youth un der daycare treatment supervision. CRAFT involves ten different components including outreach and recruitment which orients program partners – parents, participants and offender advocates as well as community meetings. Assessment and screening also include prospective employers of youth who then pursue the youth progress through training programs and trade-related academics. Youth that require substance abuse treatment are also enrolled in these programs as required. Finally the program has a community transition and follow-up component which includes job placement, job development as well as other aftercare services (NCWD/Youth, 2013). The other program is the Tampa, Florida headquartered AMIkids program which operates 50 sites across several states – Florida, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Louisiana. This day attendance and residential program comprises academics, treatment, experiential education and behavior modification. T he AMIKids program has eight components: education grade improvements challenge and team building experiences, cognitive-behavioral therapy, a strong strength-based case management, positive behavior modification, home and family partnership, individual and group problem-solving and social skills development, and community service. The AMIKids program approach is based on evidence-based theoretical perspectives and treatment interventions found in empirical