TALLAHASSEE - Lt. Governor Toni Jennings joined Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Anthony J. Schembri Thursday in announcing the implementation of the Florida Faith and Community-Based Delinquent Treatment Initiative. The program will use mentors to try to keep prior youth offenders from re-entering the juvenile justice system.

“Governor Bush and I share a commitment to strengthening families through measures such as this where communities provide a means to offer positive guidance and counseling to troubled youths,” said Lt. Governor Jennings. “As part of that mission, we should explore avenues for young people to be given a second chance to correct their mistakes and go on to become productive, valued members of society. This initiative is a step in the right direction.”

Support for the program is provided by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within that U.S. Department of Justice. The initiative will provide residential commitment and aftercare services to approximately 200 youth each year. Juvenile participants and their parents must consent to taking part in the program. Youths will be assigned a mentor supplied by a faith-based or community partner at the time of admission into a residential facility. Volunteer mentors will work with juveniles and their families throughout the residential placement period and during re-entry to the community.

“This program is based on solid research-based treatments that have a track record of success,” said Secretary Schembri. “We place a high priority on finding programs that have proven success, figuring out how to fund them, and then implementing them as quickly as possible.”

The program will seek the support of faith-based and community mentors to help strengthen families, and will rely on the community to provide caring adults as mentors. The focus of the program will be the re-integration of youth offenders back into their families and communities, utilizing the help of mentor relationships established during the residential phase of treatment.

Funded by a $3.5 million grant over the course of three years from the U.S. Department of Justice, the pilot program is being implemented through six different providers across the state. These include: Britt Halfway House in Pinellas County; San Antonio Boys Village in Pasco County; Orange Halfway House in Orange County; First Step Program in Orange County; Martin County Boot Camp; and Broward Intensive Halfway House in Broward County. Lt. Governor Jennings and Secretary Schembri were joined at the announcement by Robert Flores, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the U.S. Department of Justice; and Don Smarto, President of Youth Direct Ministries.

For more information on the Florida Faith and Community-Based Delinquency Treatment Initiative, please visit www.djj.state.fl.us or www.myflorida.com.