INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Administration Building, Suite 136 355 N. Lansing Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-2896 317-274-7711 Fax: 317-274-5457

STATE GRANT ENABLES EXPANSION OF IUPUI PROGRAM
TO AID JUVENILE OFFENDERS

INDIANAPOLIS - Thanks to support from the Indiana Department of Correction, a unique program developed by an IUPUI professor to help juvenile offenders stay out of trouble will now reach more than 800 youth across the state.

The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) recently awarded the Aftercare by IUPUI through Mentoring (AIM) program a $402,000 grant enabling the program to add six additional facilities to its existing three.

IUPUI School of Public and Environmental Affairs Professor Roger Jarjoura started AIM in 1996 at the Plainfield Juvenile Correction Facility. AIM pairs juvenile offenders with college students and community volunteers who serve as mentors offering advice on jobs, health, education, social skills and money management. They also help each participant set goals for the future and create a reentry plan. The program is voluntary and youths must be leaving the facility within two to three months to participate.

After their release, AIM volunteers continue to stay in contact with the youth through phone calls, planned programs and a bi-weekly newsletter.

AIM had extended its programs to the Indianapolis Juvenile Correction Facility, formerly the Indiana Girl's School, and the Pendleton Juvenile Correction Facility. With the help of the IDOC, Jarjoura has now added facilities in Fort Wayne, Bloomington, Logansport, South Bend and LaPorte.

"To be able to provide this program to the other young men and women at all juvenile correction facilities will allow them to participate in life skills classes, mentoring groups, training, and tutoring," said Correction Commissioner Evelyn Ridley-Turner. "This should decrease the likelihood of relapse of the juvenile offender and offer them the opportunity for a successful transition and reintegration from confinement back to their community."

In fact, Jarjoura completed an evaluation of the program last year which revealed a significant drop in the recidivism rate of participating Indianapolis-area youth versus those who were not in the program. After one year, only 13% those who participated in the program were reincarcerated compared with a 39% reincarceration rate for those who did not participate. Over two years, the difference increased even more dramatically with 49% of those who did not participate returning to jail, compared with only 18% of program participants.

Jarjoura also found that those in the AIM program were more likely to continue their education and get a job. Twenty of the program's participants have enrolled in IUPUI alone.

Plus, the program saves taxpayers money in several ways, said Jarjoura. "First, there is no loss from the crime that is prevented. Second, we do not have to pay to process the kids through the juvenile justice system, and finally we do not have to pay to keep them in prison. What's more, if they become productive citizens and work for a living and support their family, this will save us money in welfare spending."

Jarjoura hopes to expand the program to include sites in southern Indiana and is currently seeking funding and partners for the project.

Jarjoura is also looking for volunteers for the program at each of the sites. If you are interested in volunteering, please call Judy Helms at (317) 261-3041.

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