Youth and Young Adult Justice


Youth and Young Adult Justice

Our model is recognized by the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) as “Promising.” YAP proves that high-risk youth involved in the juvenile justice system can be safely and effectively served in home and community-based settings at a fraction of the cost of out-of-home placements.

YAP offers alternatives to detention and state incarceration, supports youth post-adjudication to help with compliance and other needs, and also provides reintegration support for youth transitioning out of these placements.

 

The youth justice system was established in the late 1800s to separate youth from adults in prison and focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Government acted within a "parents patriae" (parent or guardian) role. This well-intended reform resulted in many youths being incarcerated or placed- often until adulthood- without the right to due process.

Efforts to reform the system emerged with the 1964 Supreme Court ruling to provide youth with due process and the 1974 Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act (JJDPA), created to help local and state agencies prevent delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system. More recent reforms recognize the ineffective and often harmful impact of youth incarceration, and consequently we have seen significant reductions in the number of placements with increasing support for community-based alternatives. However, the impact of these reforms has not had a similar impact on Black and Brown youth, who despite legislation in 1988 and then in 1992 to reduce the disproportionate confinement of youth of color, continue to be disproportionately represented at every stage in the nation’s youth justice system. .

YAP advances a transformed less costly more effective and equitable youth justice system by demonstrating that young people, including youth considered at the highest risk with the highest needs, can be supported and rehabilitated safely from within their homes and communities.

YAP’s youth justice model is recognized by the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) as “Promising.” YAP has demonstrated that high-risk youth involved in the youth justice system can safely and effectively receive comprehensive rehabilitative services at home and in community-based settings at a fraction of the cost of out-of-home placements.

YAP offers alternatives to detention and state incarceration, supports youth post-adjudication to help with compliance, delivers rehabilitative services, and provides reintegration support for youth transitioning out of these placements. Research shows YAP’s community-based programming is more successful in rehabilitating youth and reducing recidivism than incarceration, which research shows increases the risk factors related to recidivism.

Adhering to the fundamental principles of its model, YAP continually evolves its services to address the needs of youth whose life chances are over-determined by zip code and the color of their skin. This is our expertise.

 

 
 
YAP continually evolves services to meet new needs that emerge for youth involved within the juvenile justice system, but most of our programming is designed for the purposes below. Our expertise is in working with those youth at highest criminogenic risk and need from within the community.
 
Diversion

to divert youth from formal system involvement

Pre-Adjudication

to prevent formal detention while ensuring community safety

Post-Adjudication

to prevent incarceration in prisons, jails or other residential or secure facilities

Re-Entry

to promote safety and support to youth transitioning back to the community from institutional placement

ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION
We keep children and youth out of detention facilities by providing intensive supervision and support in their homes, school and community. Research shows community-based programming is more successful in rehabilitating youth and reducing recidivism than incarceration.
ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION
ALTERNATIVES TO PLACEMENT
YAP provides jurisdictions with intensive community-based alternatives to placement in juvenile or adult facilities at disposition. Research shows community-based programming is more successful in rehabilitating youth and reducing recidivism than incarceration.
ALTERNATIVES TO PLACEMENT
TRUANCY INTERVENTION
Advocates work intensively with youth and their parents/caregivers to increase school attendance, positive in-school behavior, academic performance and the relationship between the school and the family, while also supporting the family with concrete and pro-social needs.
TRUANCY INTERVENTION
 
GANG INTERVENTION/VIOLENCE PREVENTION
YAP offers intervention services for youth and young adults engaged in or at risk of being engaged in gang involvement. We address the risk factors that often lead young people to join gangs and work with home, community, court and school systems to divert youth from gang involvement and redirect them to productive, sustainable paths.
GANG INTERVENTION/VIOLENCE PREVENTION
RE-ENTRY/AFTERCARE
Our Reintegration Programs help youth returning from correctional facilities or other residential treatment facilities to safely and successfully re-enter their home and school environments through intensive supervision and support in their home, school and community.
RE-ENTRY/AFTERCARE
DAY TREATMENT AND REPORTING CENTERS
YAP offers programming during the day and in the evening on-site that provide evidence-based curricula and therapies and also focuses on education, employment and life skill development.
DAY TREATMENT AND REPORTING CENTERS