Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 5, 1 May 2017 — Initiative keeps youths out of detention [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Initiative keeps youths out of detention

By Eric Tegethoff April marks the 25th anniversary of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, whieh has greatly redueed the United States' youth-detention population. Established by The Annie E. Casey Foundation in 1992, the initiative has spread to nearly 300 eounties across the nation. It's proved to be a way to safely reduce the juvenile-justice system's relianee on detention and provide alternative reform methods. The initiative, also known as JDAI, eame to Hawai'i eight years ago. Robert Browning, chief family court judge in Honolulu, praises JDAI for its ability to keep families

together and youths in their communities. "The welfare of our community is about what we eall the 'Aloha Spirit,' about the love that we provide to those in need, and there's no population more vulnerable than ehildren," he said. Browning says since JDAI was introduced, the populahon at Hawai'i's youth facility has been reduced from between 70 and 100 kids down to fewer than 20. He

says his first priority is puhlie safety, but that most youths post no threat to

society and in fact are better served by staying in their communities.

Dean Wilhelm is executive director, alongside his wife, of Ho'okua'āina, a Hawaiian eul-ture-based program that provides opportunities for at-risk youths, such as young people who eome from abusive homes or have had problems with drugs. In the O'ahubased youth-farmprogram, Wilhelm says the cultivation and preparation of traditional Hawaiian foods provides a sense of community and eonneehon to the land and culture. He says the program helps heal youths who might otherwise be caught up in the criminal-justice system. "It's basic life skills that we're working on," said Wilhelm. "Kids who eome here and initially can't look you in the eye have feelings of distrust and things of that sort.

After a while, they're sharing more, they're looking at you in the eye, they're able to sit still and be respectful in a conversation." Nationwide, the number of youths detained has dropped by 44 percent in JDAI districts, according to a 2013 report from the Casey Foundation. Nate Balis, director of the juve-nile-justice strategy group at the foundation, says one of the reasons JDAI has taken hold so strongly is that it is proved to work. "Jurisdictions have found that the playbook of JDAI delivers on what it promises," he stated. "It allows them to not only reduce the number of young people in secure detention but do so in a way that does not harm puhlie safety, and rather protects puhlie safety." ■ Eric Tegethoff is a Public News Seiyi.ce producei :

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Young people work on a farm Ihal provides programs for at-risk youth. - Photo: Courtesy Public News Service