aecf-NoPlaceForKidsFullReport-2011

PRIORITY2.Invest in Promising Non-Residential AlternativesIn every jurisdiction, juvenile justice leaders must erect a broad continuum ofhigh-quality services, supervision programs, and dispositional options to superviseand treat youthful offenders in their home communities.Among the most long-standing and cripplingweaknesses in America’s juvenile justice systems isa dearth of local options. Often, judges are forcedto make an untenable choice between probationor incarceration for adolescents with moderatelyserious offending histories who do not pose animmediate or significant threat to public safety.To fill this void, state and local courts and correctionssystems should invest in and substantiallyexpand access to intensive and high-qualityalternatives to incarceration such as:n Evidence-based family intervention modelslike Multisystemic Therapy, Functional FamilyTherapy, and Multidimensional Treatment FosterCare—the three specific intervention modelsthat have repeatedly proven effective with seriousyouthful offenders.n Rigorous career preparation and vocational trainingprograms, such as YouthBuild, that combineacademic instruction, work experience, andcounseling full time over several months.n Intensive youth advocate and mentoring programs,which assign youth development workersto supervise, monitor, and mentor delinquentyouth in the community.n Cognitive-behavioral skills training, either as astand-alone treatment or in combination withother programming.n Specialized mental health and substance abusetreatment models that have shown significant successin helping lower offending rates and improveyouths’ behavior, including wraparound services,mental and behavioral health diversion projects,and high-quality substance abuse treatment.These enhanced treatment programs and alternativesto incarceration should be reserved for youthwith significant records of delinquency. Youthwith limited offending histories—even thosewith severe emotional disturbances, substanceabuse problems, or other mental health conditions—shouldbe diverted from juvenile courtentirely. Need alone should not be a pretext fordeep penetration into the juvenile justice system.30