Given tight budgets and high demand, the legal system is poorly equipped to address the root causes of juvenile crime. Statistics show that incarceration does little to reduce recidivism. During their formative years, teens struggle to make good choices. In 1998, juvenile offenders addressed this problem by creating Fresh Lifelines for Youth, otherwise known as FLY.
Fresh Lifelines for Youth helps teens in trouble learn to make healthy decisions. The organization provides at-risk and disadvantaged youth with vital information regarding the decisions they make in their lives. They provide well-trained mentors who listen. And FLY gives its graduates the opportunity to advance to a leadership program where they use their knowledge and skills to give back to their communities. One of FLY's programs, a year-long one, has a striking 85% success rate. All at one tenth the cost of incarceration.
PROGRAMS:
The Law Programs teach at-risk youth about the law and consequences of crime. They help teens build life skills such as empathy, problem solving, and anger management.
The Mentoring Program provides positive role models for youth and helps them make healthy decisions and overcome addictions.
The Leadership Training Program is a year-long program in which FLY law and mentoring program graduates design and complete community service projects while working with a case manager.
To find out more on these programs, visit their Web site.
Fresh Lifelines for Youth