Chapter 2: Preventing and Intervening in Delinquency

Arts Programs

Two new initiatives, jointly funded by OJJDP and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), are helping nine communities use arts-based programs to steer at-risk youth away from crime and delinquency and to help reintegrate juvenile offenders into their communities.

The Arts and At-Risk Youth initiative is funding afterschool and summer arts programs in three communities. The programs combine the arts with job training and conflict resolution skills and will provide summer jobs or paid internships to help participating youth put into practice the skills they are learning. By integrating the arts with life experiences, the programs will help at-risk youth gain valuable insights into their own abilities and the possibilities that await them in the world of work if they continue to attend school, study, and graduate. The goal of the Arts and At-Risk Youth initiative is to prevent and reduce the incidence of juvenile delinquency, crime, and other problem behaviors (e.g., substance abuse, teen pregnancy, truancy, and dropping out of school) in at-risk youth ages 14 to 17. Grants for this program were awarded to the Community Film Workshop, Chicago, IL; the Arts and Humanities Council, Tulsa, OK; and the Village of Arts and Humanities, Philadelphia, PA. In addition to NEA, the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education also provided funding support for the Arts and At-Risk Youth initiative, and OJJDP and NEA have formed a partnership with the Institute for Civil Society, Boston, MA, to provide training and technical assistance for the three sites.

The Arts Programs for Juvenile Offenders in Detention and Corrections initiative is helping six juvenile detention and correctional facilities work with arts professionals in their communities to develop programs to help youth develop arts skills they can use after release. Three of the sites—Gainesville, TX; Riviera Beach, FL; and Rochester, NY—received grants to create new programs, while the other three—Bronx, NY; Seattle, WA; and Whittier, CA—received funds to improve existing programs.

In addition to providing juvenile offenders in detention and correctional facilities with arts programming, the grantees will develop collaborative arts programs for youth returning to their communities.