Discuss the various changes that Missouri made that resulted in a decrease in the number of youthful offenders incarcerated in secure facilities.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Missouri is a state that has taken the lead for over two decades in moving away from
serious youthful offender incarceration through the use of rehabilitative facilities. The
lead state agency, Missouri Division of Youth Services, first closed the larger state
incarceration institutions (called training schools), divided the state into five regions, and
developed a continuum of programs--day treatment, non-secure group homes, medium-
secure facilities, and secure care facilities--within each region. The facilities house only
40–50 young people and are further grouped into family-size units. The facilities’
philosophy revolves around strong, supportive peer and adult relationships using the
positive youth development approach that become the focus of compliance and security
and not coercive approaches. Each young person has an individualized treatment plan
including restorative justice practices. Families are involved at the inception of
placement for therapy, case management, and reentry planning. Recidivism reoffending
rates for youthful offenders across the state is 31% annually (a 50% decrease), and
only 12% of all serious and chronic youthful offenders are returned to the facilities or
committed to an adult prison within 3 years (a nearly 60% decrease).