Juvenile Crime
“A Community Partnership of the Caring Communities Initiative”
Butler County Community Resource Council
Core Result: Children and families safe
Benchmark: Juvenile Crime Rate
February 2002 
Objective
To reduce the incidents of violent crimes committed by juveniles (youth ages 10-17) in Butler County from 121 in 1998 to 60 by 2003 (50%reduction)
To reduce the incidents of drug charges against juveniles (youth ages 10-17) in Butler County from 42 in 1998 to 21 by 2003 (50% reduction)
Strategies
What works?
Case Management
The Community Partnership created a case management system for youth referred to the juvenile office. Selected youth are assigned a case manager who systematically analyses risk and protective factors in the youth’s life. The primary intervention approach is to add protective factors (i.e. caring adults, positive activities) to the youth’s life.
Mentors
The Community Partnership created a program in which community volunteer mentors are paired with youth referred by the juvenile office and area schools. These mentors work with the youth on a weekly basis.
After School Activities
Since most juvenile crime occurs in the early afternoon, after school programs are particularly effective in reducing juvenile crime. The Community Partnership has help create or support the Boys and Girls Club of Poplar Bluff, Operation Off Street (an after school drop in youth center in a high crime location), and the Fisk After School Program, and activities of Weed and Seed.
Coordinated Multi-Agency Interventions
The Community Partnership conducts regular inter-agency staffings on high need youth. The school systems, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Social Services and other agencies coordinate interventions with juvenile offenders.
Results
Juvenile crime rates have decreased significantly in Butler County.
Funding/Return on Investment
In FY 01, Caring Communities funds of $67,000 were combined with $90,000 of federal dollars (Weed and Seed), $45,492 of other state dollars (Dept. of Public Safety and Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education), and $18,200 of local funds (City of Poplar Bluff and private donations to create a comprehensive and highly successful juvenile crime reduction strategy. In FY02, Caring Communities funds for these efforts were reduced to $49,412. All programs were sustained in FY02.
Noteworthy
According to the Butler County Juvenile Office, the total number of youth referrals declined from 829 from 1998 to 456 in 2000, a 45% reduction in 2 years. The most recent Kids Count data available reports that juvenile law violations in Butler County declined from 123.8 per 1000 youth ages 10-17 in 1996 to 70.3 per 1000 youth ages 10-17 in 1999, a 43% reduction.
