[Download Safely Home]
[Executive Summary]

Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) released Safely Home, a report that highlights "bright spots," places around the country that have effectively used community-based programs to reduce youth incarceration. Safely Home draws upon a series of recent briefs by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation Center on the public safety and permanency outcomes of thousands of youth served by YAP, and a survey of 300 young people served by community-based programs instead of incarceration.

The findings are significant: more than 8 out of 10 youth remained arrest free and 9 out of 10 were at home after completing their community-based program, at a fraction of the cost to incarcerate these youth.

Safely Home notes that intensive community-based programs can serve three to four high-need youth safely in the community for the same cost as incarcerating one child and describes a dozen key elements of effective community-based alternatives, including individualized services, cultural competence, positive youth development, safety and crisis planning and no reject/no eject policies that promote unconditional caring.

We believe this report makes a strong case that we can and should reduce youth incarceration and that we must redirect dollars from costly out-of-home placements back to the community where kids and families can be more fully supported. If we redirect in this way, we will save money, have the greatest impact on public safety and youth will have the best chance to develop and succeed.

As we say in the report, anything that can be done in a youth prison or residential center can be done better in the community. We look forward to working with you to advance policies, practices and systems change so that together, we can bring more kids safely home.

National Press:

• Community Alternatives to 'Toxic' Youth Prisons published by The Crime Report
• Is Alabama a model for having fewer youth behind bars? Report highlights state's success published by AL.com
• The Case for More Community-Based Services in Juvenile Justice published by The Chronicle of Social Change
• Lucas County lauded as 'bright spot' in national juvenile justice report published by Toledo Free Press
• Wayne County Community-based Programs Cited as a National Model published by Michigan Chronicle
• Safe Havens for Youth published by Public Welfare Foundation
• Teen Lock-Up Rates Decrease in Alabama published by WTVY.com
• Report: Evidence Shows Community-based Programs Work Better than Incarceration published by Youth Today
• The Case for Community over Institutions published by National Human Services Assembly
• OP-ED: Report Finds Incarceration Doesn't Work; Community Engagement Does published by Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
• Locking up juvenile criminals should be last resort, report declares published by The Florida Times-Union via Jacksonville.com, CBSMiami, and The Ledger.com
• State promotes community-based juvenile treatment programs published by the Lebanon Daily News
• Lucas Co. program draws praise published by The Toledo Blade
• Study argues against practice of locking up teen offenders published by the Orlando Sentinel
• Study: Locking up juveniles reduces changes for rehabilitation published by The Tallahassee Democrat
• OP-ED: Community Programs Cheaper, Better than Incarceration published by Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
• Report: Evidence Shows Community-based Programs Work Better than Incarceration published by Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
• Bright Spots published by Connected by 25
• Middlesex County excels in reducing juvenile offenders' reliance on detention centers, report says published by NJ.com
• Report Highlights Community-Based Alternatives to Youth Incarceration published by Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• Successful Innovations in Juvenile Justice are Lifting Up Instead of Locking Down published by Kennedy School Review
• Building Bipartisan Base for Safer, Smarter Juvenile Justice published by The Chicago Bureau
• Program important to county, officials say published by Daily Mountain Eagle
• New Juvenile Justice Report Builds on Reform Movement published by Justice Policy Institute
• Valuing Family, Community and Youth: Reauthorize the JJDPA | ACT4JJ published by Act 4 Juvenile Justice
• It Takes a Community to Keep Kids Out of Prison published by The Chicago Bureau
• Safely Home published by Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Newsletter
• Youth Placement is Overused [commentary] published by The Baltimore Sun
• Smart justice makes headway for juvenile offenders published by Jacksonville.com