Never is Better but Once is Enough: The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Can Help States Reduce Crime and Save Taxpayer Dollars.

This report begins by urging support for the reauthorization of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), legislation that will encourage communities to engage juvenile offenders in programs proven to help steer them away from a life of crime. The report then reviews the current situation resulting from placing juvenile offenders in residential facilities with other troubled youth, including a cost of more than $5 billion to keep juvenile offenders in facilities. The benefits of providing community services and family coaching to juvenile offenders is discussed, and the following promising programs are highlighted: Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the Chicago summer jobs program for inner-city high school students, Aggression Replacement Training, Functional Family Therapy, Multisystemic Therapy, and Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care.