Challenge Activity I

• NCJ Number: 165938
• Author(s): D Altschuler; T Armstrong
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 8 pages
• Contract Number(s): OJP-94-C-004
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: From Challenge Activities Program Areas.

Annotation

This paper reviews Challenge Activity I under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 as reauthorized in 1992; this activity pertains to aftercare services for juveniles involved in the justice system.

Abstract

The 1992 reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 added Part E, State Challenge Activities, to the programs funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The purpose of Part E is to provide initiatives for States participating in the Formula Grants Programs to develop, adopt, and improve policies and programs in 1 or more of 10 specified Challenge areas. In focusing on Challenge Activity I, this paper profiles juvenile aftercare activities that are designed to provide comprehensive health, mental health, education, and vocational services, as well as services that preserve and strengthen the families of such juveniles. One section of the paper profiles the Intensive Aftercare Program Model, which is an integrated, multifaceted aftercare program that cuts across institutional and professional boundaries. The goal of the program is to gradually reintegrate into the community high-risk juvenile offenders who have been in secure confinement. The model is based on five principles: prepare youth for progressively increased responsibility and freedom in the community; facilitate the involvement of and interaction between youth and the community; work with both the offender and community support systems; develop new resources and supports; and monitor and test youth and the community on their ability to deal with each other productively. Another program described is the Associated Marine Institutes Model, which helps delinquent boys ages 14-18 further their education, develop job skills, increase self-confidence, and meet personal responsibilities. Also described is the Thomas O'Farrell Youth Center Model in Marriottsville, Md., which is a 6- to 9-month nonsecure residential program with a strong emphasis on aftercare. Other aftercare programs are briefly described. 22- item bibliography, 2 resource organization, and 12 notes