The average cost to incarcerate one juvenile offender is $148,767 per year.  Conversely, community-based programming offered for youth involved in juvenile diversion programs, who are able to remain at home, can cost as little as $75 per day (Shaena M. Fazal, Safely Home: Reducing Youth Incarceration and Achieving Positive Outcomes for High and Complex Need Youth Through Effective Community-Based Programs, Washington DC:  Youth Advocate Programs Policy and Advocacy Center, 2014).  With the high cost of juvenile detention, and the greater toll it takes on our communities, states like Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Texas are turning to alternatives which focus more on early interventions.  These states are finding that, in addition to being more cost effective, programs that address the needs of the child, including character education, are reducing the numbers of youth confined without a negative impact on public safety.

Extended Family works in four Alabama counties, including Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, and Etowah, to provide programs and support to youth in juvenile diversion programs to help them make better choices and reduce the rate of recidivism among adjudicated juveniles.  Both programs, Extended Family for Kids (EFK) and Extended Family Leadership Academy (EFLA) are led by Extended Family staff at no cost to the participants.

As another level of prevention, Extended Family also offers EFK and EFLA to children in kindergarten through 12th grades who have any loved one who is incarcerated.  Both programs are designed to lead students toward success in their homes, schools, and communities.  The lessons help children develop mentally, physically, emotionally, and morally.  By offering EFK and EFLA to children with an incarcerated loved one, we are working to provide services to ensure that the children do not become involved with the juvenile justice system, with the goal of breaking the cycle of incarceration in families.

Extended Family wants to make our programs available to every child who needs them.  We welcome the support and partnership of anyone who wants to see children succeed and thrive. For more information about Extended Family and our programs, visit our website at  www.extendedfamilyhelp.org.  Strong children grow up to create strong families and communities, making our world a better place.  

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