The Bridge Youth and Family Resource Center is officially open! The warm and inviting resource center in Boise will help young people stay out of the juvenile justice system and instead redirect them to other resources that yield profoundly better results. Gone are the days of Scared Straight when children who were having difficulties navigating adolescence, and who may have had challenging home lives or other issues, were introduced to prison life. It was a way of scaring them into avoiding a life of incarceration.
Years of research now shows us that redirecting children to supportive services is the better way. It’s better for the children, it’s better for their families and it’s better for our communities. The program has the enthusiastic support of the law enforcement community as well.
We thank Governor Little for his support and for the funding he championed in the legislature that’s now being administered by the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. This is a fiscally responsible approach because keeping people out of the criminal just system is the best use of our time and our money.
Congratulations also to the young people who are doing the hard work and finding new ways to adapt and to focus on creating productive and meaningful futures.