The statistics in the United States for juveniles in detention is staggering. A report released in 2007 revealed that roughly 60,500 youths were confined in some form of a youth detention facility, not counting 25,000 who were awaiting trial or placed in other juvenile detention programs. There are precious few programs in juvenile detention centers that establish core values and set the stage for fundamental change at a key time in the development of a young person’s character.
Youth incarceration is higher in the United States than any other country, in fact five times as much as the next highest nation, with about the same number of arrests. Research has shown that juvenile detention center inmates don’t benefit from incarceration, and is actually counterproductive to rehabilitation.
The need to establish effective juvenile delinquency programs in our youth detention facilities is critical to reducing recidivism, as a defense against the environment within our youth correction facilities.
Give 'eM Heaven Ministries delivers key life changing messages to At Risk youth:
- One On One Mentoring: Connecting with youths eye to eye reinforces trust
- Faith Based Life Principles: Mentoring is based on the foundations upon which God desires a relationship with us
- Real Life Examples of Change: Past experiences provide relevance to the message
- Strategies for the Street: Preparing youth inmates for life of fulfillment on the outside
Juvenile Correctional Info
Wikipedia: Youth Incarceration in the United States
Annie E. Casey Foundation: No Place for Kids: The Case for Reducing Juvenile Incarceration (PDF)
FDOJJ Hillsborough County: Available Resources
