Downsizing helps delinquents; Missouri has discovered that showering troubled teens with warmth, respect and concern works well in turning them around.

Thinking small has made a big difference for youth corrections in Missouri. The Missouri Division of Youth Services' (DYS) juvenile corrections system is gaining attention as a model for other states considering reforms favoring residential treatment over prison for kids who commit crimes.

Twenty years ago, Missouri, like many states, operated large state training schools. They were shut down and subsequently replaced when the state began to experiment with smaller correctional programs. During the 1980s, DYS divided the state into five regions and started using sites such as abandoned school houses, convents and large residential homes to house delinquent teens closer to their families.

Missouri's approach to youth corrections relies on personal treatment, rehabilitation and making internal changes within juveniles in positive small-scale settings rather than isolation, punishment and behavioral compliance.

The program's emphasis is on positive peer relationships and intense, consistent therapy coupled with a small and intimate group atmosphere. In this kind of a setting even the most violent of delinquent teens, preferably called "kids," not "prisoners" begin to share stories, discuss their emotions, and talk about their hopes and dreams for the future.

The staff consists of college educated "youth specialists" who do not wear uniforms and who work closely and are able to forge relationships with the kids.

Even the facilities' furnishings--goldfish tanks, couches, beanbags, potted plants, stuffed animals and handmade posters--are designed to make the kids comfortable and create a more family-type atmosphere. As a result of this warm, positive atmosphere, incidents of attacks on other juveniles or staff are rare. And there has not been a single suicide under DYS custody.

One of the key components of the program is the fostering of a positive relationship between each juvenile and a member of the staff. A young person entering a facility is assigned a service coordinator for his or her entire stay. The coordinator monitors the juvenile's progress by maintaining constant interaction and plays an important role in determining when the youth should be discharged. Stringent aftercare services also are provided. After the juvenile is released, the coordinator maintains the relationship by helping him find a job and adjust to life on the outside. "We become surrogate families to these kids ... it makes all the difference" says Mark Steward, director of the department of youth services.

But the critical question is does this type of system work? Missouri's recidivism rate, which has been as low as 11 percent, is dramatically lower than the rest of the county. A 2003 study revealed that only 85 of 1,400 teens who were released in 1999 ended up in adult prisons. Another 2003 recidivism report compiled by the DYS found that 70 percent of the youths released in 1999 were not recommitted to a correctional program within three years.

Missouri's overall costs are lower when compared to what other states spend on youth corrections. The program costs

approximately $94 per day for every youth between the ages of 10 and 17, while the cost per youth in surrounding states was $140, according to "Less Cost, More Safety: Guiding Lights for Reform in Juvenile Justice," a study by the American Youth Policy Forum.

"Our programs operate on less than other states because we are able to do many things internally, such as our health services and security," Seward says. "We don't have large perimeters with guards. And while we have high staff coverage, there is not a lot of support cost. We keep our overhead low."

Missouri's success has attracted criminal justice officials, policymakers, parents and juveniles from across the country to visit and leave surprised with the atmosphere and results that the youth program has achieved.

Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland and New Jersey are considering similar programs. Maryland has enacted legislation requiring the department of juvenile services to come up with a master plan of reform for their juvenile facilities--keeping things small, delivering services close to home while keeping the kids and community safe.

Sarah Hammond tracks criminal justice issues for NCSL.