aecf-NoPlaceForKidsFullReport-2011

PRIORITY5.Replace Large Institutions With Small, Treatment-Oriented Facilitiesfor the Dangerous FewThe limited number of youthful offenders whose serious and chronic offending demand secureconfinement should be placed into small, humane, and treatment-oriented facilities.The superiority of small, community-basedjuvenile corrections facilities over larger, conventionaltraining schools is widely recognized in thejuvenile justice field. The advantages of smallerfacilities include: the chance to keep youth closeto home and engage their families; greater opportunityto recruit mentors and other volunteers;and a more hospitable treatment environment.The primary mission of small secure facilities,as well as group homes and other placementfacilities, should be to help youth make lastingbehavior changes and to build the skills and selfawarenessnecessary to succeed following release.One of the most consistent findings of researchin juvenile corrections is that interventions aimingto build skills and address human needs arefar more effective than those aimed at deterrenceor punishment.In pursuing this mission, states will do well tofollow the example of Missouri, which closed itslong-troubled training schools in the early 1980s.Since then, Missouri’s Division of Youth Serviceshas divided the state into five regions and builta continuum of programs in each, ranging fromday treatment programs and non-secure grouphomes, to moderately secure facilities locatedin state parks and college campuses, to securecare facilities. None of the facilities holds morethan 50 youth, and each of the state’s six securecare facilities houses just 30 to 36 youth. Inevery Missouri facility, youth are placed in smallgroups that participate together in all education,treatment, meals, recreation, and free time.Throughout their stays in DYS facilities, youthare challenged to discuss their feelings, gaininsights into their behaviors, and build theircapacity to express their thoughts and emotionsclearly, calmly, and respectfully—even whenthey are upset or angry. DYS staff engage thefamilies of confined youth and work with familymembers to devise successful reentry plans. DYSassigns a single case manager to oversee eachyouth from the time of commitment throughrelease and into aftercare, and it provides youthwith extensive supervision and support throughoutthe critical reentry period.Through this approach, Missouri has achievedreoffending rates that are lower than those ofother states. Missouri’s model has been cited asa national model by the New York Times in 2007and earned a national “Innovations in AmericanGovernment” award from Harvard Universityin 2008. 13934