Gould-Wysinger Awards: A Tradition of Excellence

• NCJ Number: 247775
• Author(s): Michael Goodnow
• Date Published: August 1996
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This Fact Sheet describes three programs honored with 1995 Gould-Wysinger Awards, which recognize the achievements of federally funded programs that have been effective in addressing the needs of at-risk and delinquent youth.

Abstract

One honoree for 1995, the Utah Community Service and Restitution Program (Salt Lake City), has shown growth in the percentage of restitution collected for victims of juvenile crime and in the number of community-service hours completed. Serving as a pilot site for an OJJDP research study in 1992, the program has shown that juveniles who take responsibility for their actions by paying restitution and/or performing community service are less likely to reoffend. A second honoree, the Arlington County Juvenile Sex Offender Program (Arlington, VA), developed a comprehensive treatment program for adolescent sex offenders, their families, and significant community systems. The program has been successful in intervening with young offenders to reduce the likelihood that their problem behavior will escalate into more serious, violent sexual deviance. Program staff receive intensive training by national experts in sex offender treatment and case management. A recent evaluation showed that 91 percent of juveniles who participated in the program did not reoffend. A third honoree, the BRIDGE (Atlanta, GA), is an intermediate-level residential psychiatric treatment program in a disadvantaged neighborhood. The program serves troubled adolescents with a history of physical and sexual abuse. Nearly all of the youth served are involved with the juvenile justice system. They are placed in the program as an alternative to incarceration. Comprehensive treatment targets youth at risk for or involved in substance abuse, gangs, physical and sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV infection. The BRIDGE also provides an alternative school and an extensive aftercare program.